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The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 


ONLY  A GIRL 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian 
Womanhood 


MRS.  MARCUS  B.  FULLER 


Bombay,  India 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 

RAMABAI 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company- 

Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature 


Copyright,  1900 
by 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


TO 

The  Christian  women  of  India,  England  and 
America  who  owe  all  they  have  and  all  they  are 
to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  whom  “ there  is 
neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  there  is  neither  bond  nor 
free,  there  is  neither  male  nor  female^'  but  in 
whom  all  are  one,  is  this  volume  lovingly  ded- 
icated. 


CHAP, 


Contents 


PAGE 

Introduction  by  Ramabai 1 1 

Author’s  Preface 15 

I.  How  Long? 17 

II.  A Snap-shot  at  Modern  India 23 

III.  Child-Marriage 33 

IV.  Enforced  Widowhood 48 

V.  The  Zenana 76 

VI.  Muralis 100 

VII.  Devadasis 1 12 

VIII.  Nautch-Girl 126 

IX.  An  Anti-Nautch  Movement 137 

X.  Infanticide 148 

XI.  A Chapter  of  Indian  Testimony  •••...  161 

XII.  The  Position  of  Government 175 

XIII.  What  Government  Has  Done 189 

XIV.  What  the  Reformers  Have  Done 21 1 

XV.  Since  1891 229 

XVI.  What  the  Missionaries  Have  Done  ....  247 

XVII.  The  Real  Difficulty 270 

XVIII.  The  Real  Remedy 284 


7 


List  of  Illustrations 


Only  a Girl 

Hindu  Home  Life — Grinding  , . 

Hindu  Home  Life — Spinning  . . 
Hindu  Gentleman  and  Girl  Wife 
When  are  You  Going  to  Get  Marri 
Suttee  Rite  (Burning  the  Dead) 
Portrait  of  Ramabai 
Group  of  Child  Widows 
Hindu  Temples  . , 

Worshiping  the  Idol 
Nautcii  Girls  . . . 

An  Elderly  Widow  . 

Bombay  College  . . 

Lucknow  College  . . 

Reading  of  the  Shastras 
A High  Caste  Girl  . 

A Low  Caste  Woman 
A Gospel  Wagon  . . 


Frontispiece 
j-  Facing  26 


39 

51 

68 

113 

128 

206 

263 

273 

285 

291 


9 


Introduction 


It  is  a matter  of  deep  thankfulness  to  me  that 
Mrs.  Fuller  is  publishing  her  articles  on  “The 
Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood”  in  a book. 
The  world  needs  such  books  to  enlighten  it. 
Very  few  people,  even  in  India  itself,  know 
what  really  goes  on  behind  the  purdah.  Hun- 
dreds of  our  Indian  reformers  are  ignorant  of  the 
real  condition  of  women.  The  Indian  women 
themselves  do  not  realize  the  depths  of  degrada- 
tion they  are  in.  Even  those  who  have  suffered 
the  greatest  wrongs  are  reluctant  to  tell  the  truth 
to  the  world,  even  if  they  have  the  opportunity, 
for  fear  they  may  lower  themselves  and  their 
nation  in  the  eyes  of  other  nations.  A young 
widow  was  telling  me  some  of  the  hardships  she 
and  other  widows  had  to  fear.  Another  young 
widow  heard  what  she  said  to  me  and,  when  the 
talk  was  over,  the  latter  took  the  former  aside 
and  gave  her  a severe  scolding  for  betraying  her 
family  and  her  nation  at  large  ! 

Great  courage  is  required  to  tell  the  truth  when 

you  know  all  the  nation  will  rise  against  you  as 
11 


Introduction 


one  man  and  put  you  down.  So  no  one  need  be 
surprised  at  the  reluctance  of  India’s  women  to 
tell  their  own  wrongs,  even  if  they  knew  how. 
It  is  for  this  reason  1 am  more  than  glad  that 
God  has  put  it  into  Mrs.  Fuller’s  mind  to  place 
before  the  world  the  woes  of  India’s  women  in  a 
way  that  no  one  before  has  done.  She  has  taken 
the  greatest  pains  to  find  out  the  truth  on  every 
point  she  has  written  down.  She  has  neither 
exaggerated  nor  kept  back  what  can  be  said  on 
the  most  important  things  connected  with  Indian 
women’s  conditions.  All  who  are  interested  in 
and  want  to  do  something  for  the  salvation  of 
woman  in  India  will  do  well  to  read  her  book. 

1 entirely  agree  with  Mrs.  Fuller  in  what  she 
says  on  “The  Real  Remedy.”  Let  me  ask  you, 
my  dear  Christian  sisters,  the  same  question  that 
she  has  put  to  you.  “Is  it  possible  for  the  one 
hundred  and  fifty  million  women  of  India  of  this 
generation  to  hear  the  gospel.?”  Will  you  not 
wake  up  to  your  Christian  duty  and  say.  Yes; 
and  then  act  upon  your  convictions  ? I believe 
there  are  at  least  half  a million  Christian  women 
of  all  castes  and  colors  in  India.  If  each  one  of 
them  made  up  her  mind  to  tell  the  story  of 
Christ  to  one  of  her  sister  women  every  day, 

taking  the  seventh  day  for  rest,  she  would  be 
12 


Introduction 


able  to  preach  the  gospel  to  over  three  hundred 
women  in  one  year.  In  this  way  it  is  possible 
for  half  a million  Christian  women  to  give  the 
gospel  to  all  of  our  sisters  in  India  in  one  year. 
1 am  praying  to  God  that  He  may  send  a flood  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  Christian  women  of  India 
and  convict  them  of  their  sin  of  not  giving  the 
gospel  to  their  heathen  sisters  whenever  they 
can.  The  Lord  has  given  us  the  command,  Go 
and  preach  the  gospel.  Shall  we  not  be  a host 
under  His  leadership  to  publish  it  far  and  wide  ? 
Dear  Christian  sisters  of  all  lands,  do  consider 
this  most  important  question  and  rise  to  obey  the 
command  of  your  great  Captain,  Jesus  Christ, 
who  expects  you  to  do  His  bidding  and  to  enter 
into  His  joy. 

May  this  little  book  be  like  the  voice  in  the 
wilderness,  and  be  the  means  of  turning  thou- 
sands of  minds  to  obey  the  Master’s  call  and  take 
the  Real  Remedy,  the  gospel  of  Christ,  to  millions 
of  India’s  women  to  heal  the  deep  wounds  of 
their  hearts,  is  the  prayer  of  your  sister. 


Mukti  Mission,  Kedgaon, 

August  20th,  i8gg. 


13 


Author’s  Preface 


An  apparently  trivial  event  often  proves  the 
pivot  on  which  something  greater  and  unthought 
of  may  turn.  Last  year  1 paid  to  a friend  out  of 
the  city  a hurried  visit — an  insignificant  event  in 
itself,  but,  while  there,  an  Indian  lady  gave  me  a 
manuscript  to  look  over  and  asked  my  opinion  of 
it.  1 was  deeply  stirred  as  I read  it,  and  for  days 
I was  haunted  with  the  query:  “Can  I do  any- 

thing for  the  cause  of  Indian  womanhood?”  It 
has  been  many  years  since  the  subject  of  Indian 
women’s  wrongs  has  been  much  before  the  pub- 
lic, and  then  the  public  is  so  forgetful,  that  I 
finally  decided  to  write  three  or  four  articles  for 
the  Bombay  Guardian  on  the  subject.  Without 
any  definite  planning  one  article  led  to  another, 
until  I had  written  eighteen  instead  of  three  or 
four! 

They  were  written  under  the  pressure  of  other 
work  and  responsibilities.  Kind  friends  ex- 
pressed much  interest  in  them,  and  urged  me  to 
publish  them  in  a more  permanent  form.  I have 

taken  great  pains  to  verify  all  my  statements, 
15 


Author’s  Preface 


and  have  often  understated  facts  rather  than  lay 
myself  open  to  the  charge  of  exaggeration. 
European  writers  are  accused  of  not  understand- 
ing Indian  thought  and  custom.  To  avoid  this 
charge  1 procured  my  information  largely  from 
Indian  sources.  This  has  laid  me  under  a debt 
of  gratitude  to  a host  of  Indian  friends,  both 
Hindu  and  Christian.  But  1 am  especially  in- 
debted to  my  friends,  Professor  N.  G.  Velinkar, 
who  has  been  most  generous  and  unwearying  in 
his  assistance,  and  Ramabai,  whose  counsel  and 
sympathy  have  been  of  great  value. 

It  is  true  that  my  scenes,  incidents  and  illustra- 
tions may  have  given  a slight  Marathi  coloring  to 
some  of  the  chapters.  This  is  due  to  the  fact 
that  1 have  spent  many  years  in  the  Marathi 
country,  but  this  does  not  hinder  the  book  from 
representing  the  whole  of  India,  and  calls  for  no 
apology. 

After  careful  revision  of  the  articles,  1 send 
them  forth  in  their  present  form  to,  1 trust,  a 
larger  audience,  with  the  hope  that,  in  spite  of 
all  defects,  my  readers  may  catch  the  message 
they  contain,  and  which  my  heart  has  burned  to 
give.  Jenny  Fuller. 

Bombay,  India, 

Sept,  i,  tSpg. 


16 


I 

HOW  LONG? 

For  four  hundred  years  Cuba,  Porto  Rico  and 
the  Philippines  bore  the  iron  yoke  of  Spanish 
misrule  and  priestly  oppression.  For  years  the 
inhabitants  have  revolted,  and  these  fair  islands 
have  known  nothing  but  rebellion  and  suffering 
in  their  vain  attempts  to  throw  off  this  galling 
oppression. 

Days  went  by,  moons  waxed  and  waned,  but 
the  suffering  remained  as  real  and  deliverance 
seemed  as  far  off  as  ever.  Men  saw  their  homes 
destroyed,  loved  ones  wronged,  starved  and 
killed.  Would  freedom  never  come  ? Was 
Cuba  Libre  an  idle  dream  and  jest  ? 

It  was  February  15th,  1898.  The  day  had 
dawned  like  other  days;  and  was  filled  with  woe 
and  suffering  as  other  days  had  been.  There 
seemed  no  end  to  such  days.  Hope  had  almost 
died  in  many  hearts.  Out  in  the  bay  of  Havana 
an  American  war  ship  lay  riding  at  anchor.  The 
waters  of  the  bay  lapped  and  curled  against  its 
sides  as  idly  as  at  other  times.  Suddenly  there 

was  an  awful  explosion,  and  the  Maine  had  gone 
17 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

down  a total  wreck.  Again  the  waters  of  the 
bay  lapped  and  curled,  but  this  time  above  the 
grave  of  over  two  hundred  men. 

This  disaster,  sudden  and  awful,  was  the  cloud’ 
“no  bigger  than  a man’s  hand ’’that  rose  that 
day,  the  forerunner  of  the  heavy  war  cloud  that 
soon  hung  over  the  islands;  and  when  it  broke 
away,  the  brilliant  “bow  of  promise”  of  free- 
dom spanned  its  dark  shadows. 

It  was  an  awful  disaster,  but  it  set  in  motion 
forces  that  broke  forever  the  yoke  of  oppression 
that  had  so  long  rested  upon  the  necks  of  the 
people.  The  world,  now  that  the  strain  of 
sympathy  is  broken,  says  they  are  not  ready  for 
freedom  and  are  only  children.  Their  right  was 
freedom,  and  it  is  our  duty  to  let  time  work  out 
their  problems  for  them. 

What  has  this  story  to  do  with  the  wrongs  of 
Indian  womanhood  ? Nothing,  save  that  it  gave 
us  courage  and  hope.  An  Indian  lady  had  given 
us  a manuscript  book  to  read  concerning  the 
wrongs  of  Indian  women,  saying,  “1  do  not 
know  that  it  can  be  published,  but  I feel  these 
things  ought  to  be  known.”  We  thought  we 
had  known  much  before,  but  this  book  was  like 
a book  of  horrors  to  us.  We  almost  wished  we 

had  never  read  it,  and  hid  our  faces  to  shut  out 
18 


How  Long? 

the  scenes  it  had  depicted.  What  can  be  done  to 
help  ? we  repeated  over  and  over. 

Child  marriage,  enforced  widowhood,  the 
Zenana,  the  Muralis  and  the  Devadasis  (temple 
women)  seem  to  flourish  as  deeply  rooted  as 
ever.  Women  suffer  on  just  as  they  have  so 
long  done.  Only  now  and  then  does  the  public 
hear  an  agonized  shriek  of  the  sufferings  of  some 
child-wife.  Now  and  then,  the  public  reads  a 
paragraph  in  some  paper  of  the  suicide  of  a girl- 
widow,  with  no  hint  of  the  tragedy  behind  it 
all. 

It  has  not  been  many  years  since  Rakhmabai 
made  her  brave  fight  for  her  rights.  She  won  in 
away.  The  law  still  forbids  her  to  marry;  but 
perhaps  her  struggles  did  more  for  women  than 
we  know.  The  miracle  was  that  she  ever  had 
the  courage  to  make  it  at  all. 

Then  came  the  tragic  suffering  and  death  of 
Phulmani  Dasi,  in  Calcutta,  which  aroused  the 
public  and  government,  until  they  raised  the  age 
of  consent  to  twelve.  The  story  of  Phulmani 
Dasi*  is  repeated  over  and  over  still  in  the  land. 
The  neighbors  know  it,  educated  men  know  it, 
editors  know  it;  yet  there  is  little  public  protest. 

• An  adult  husband  in  Calcutta  committed  rape  upon  his 
child-wife,  Phulmani  Dasi,  aged  eleven,  causing  her  death. 

19 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

If  it  were  in  England  or  America,  the  whole 
world  would  know  it.  Why  are  not  these  facts 
brought  forward  until  the  world  is  stirred  and 
the  evil  reformed  ? 

It  looks  hopeless.  It  has  gone  on  so  many, 
many  years.  It  was  here  that  the  story  of  the 
Maine  came  to  our  minds  and  spoke  courage  and 
hope.  It  may  be  that  some  social  Maine  will 
come  to  our  help — some  social  tragedy  deeper 
and  more  terrible  than  Phulmani’s,  or  more  un- 
just than  Rakhmabai’s,  that  will  stir  men’s  hearts 
and  set  such  forces  in  action  as  will  in  a short 
time  bring  to  Indian  womanhood  a glorious  de- 
liverance. Men  still  say  that  women  are  not 
ready  or  fit  for  a change;  that  they  are  only 
children;  and  they  never  will  be  aught  else  in 
their  present  position.  Make  the  change  and 
then,  better  the  mistakes  of  freedom,  a thousand 
times  over,  than  the  cruel  wrongs  of  oppression 
and  degradation. 

There  are  hundreds  of  men  in  India  who  feel 
these  questions  deeply,  who  go  as  far  in  reform 
as  they  dare, — who  would  nobly  stand  by  any 
measure  that  would  be  brought  up,  if  they  were 
alone.  But  any  action  on  their  part  involves  a 
large  number  of  relatives  and  friends  who  have 

not  their  convictions,  but  who  must  share  the 
20 


How  Long? 

reformer’s  ostracism  and  ill-repute.  We  would 
not  be  too  hard  on  them. 

Mr.  Malabari  who  has  said  and  written  so 
much  on  these  subjects  is  a Parsee,  and  Ramabai 
a Christian.  Both  of  them  can  date  the  begin- 
nings of  their  interest  to  sad  scenes  witnessed  in 
their  childhood  in  their  native  place.  In  a sketch 
of  Mr.  Malabari  the  writer  tells  how  he  heard  the 
shrieks  of  a little  girl  like  Phulmani  Dasi,  and 
those  shrieks  still  ring  in  his  soul.  Ramabai 
tells  how  in  one  part  of  her  father’s  house  when 
she  was  but  nine  years  old,  there  lived  a poor 
family.  The  family  consisted  of  a man  of  thirty 
years  of  age,  his  girl-wife  of  sixteen  and  his  old 
mother.  The  mother-in-law  was  all  that  is  im- 
plied by  that  name  in  this  country,  a heartless  old 
hag,  always  beating,  abusing  and  cruelly  treating 
her  daughter-in-law.  One  day  when  the  girl 
was  spinning,  a monkey  stole  her  cotton.  For 
this  carelessness  the  girl  was  abused  by  the 
mother-in-law  who  nagged  the  husband  on  to 
beat  her.  Ramabai  adds:  “I  was  an  eyewitness 
to  all  this.  Her  piercing  cries  went  right  to  my 
heart,  and  I seem  to  hear  them  now  after  nearly 
thirty  years.  My  childish  heart  was  filled  with 
indignation,  and  though  I was  powerless  to  aid, 

I have  never  forgotten  that  poor  girl’s  cries  for 
21 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

help,  and  I suppose  it  was  the  first  call  1 received 
to  enter  upon  the  sacred  duty  of  helping  my 
sisters  according  to  the  little  strength  I had.  But 
1 never  realized  the  extent  of  the  grief,  suffering 
and  need  of  my  sisters,  so  long  as  1 remained  in 
darkness,  and  had  no  love  of  God  in  me.” 

The  public  so  soon  forgets,  and  needs  to  be  re- 
minded so  often,  that  we  felt  perhaps  all  we 
could  do  was  to  review  these  evils  one  by  one, 
and  stir  men’s  hearts  afresh  to  remember  the 
wrongs  of  Indian  womanhood,  and  perhaps  in 
this  way  give  an  added  impetus  to  prayer  and 
effort. 


22 


II 


A SNAP  SHOT  AT  MODERN  INDIA 

The  mail  steamer  lay  at  the  wharf  at  Brindisi. 
As  we  leaned  against  the  railing  of  the  upper 
deck,  we  saw  a young  Indian  gentleman  dressed 
in  a bicycle  suit  trundling  his  wheel  up  the  plank 
that  reached  from  the  shore  to  the  ship.  When 
we  went  down  to  luncheon,  we  found  the 
steward  had  seated  him  at  our  table.  He  told  us 
he  had  been  in  England  for  several  years  pursuing 
a course  of  studies,  and  before  coming  on  ship- 
board, had  just  completed  a tour  of  the  continent. 
An  indulgent  father  had  supplied  him  with  all 
the  money  he  had  needed  without  murmuring  or 
question,  which  had  enabled  him  to  live  while 
abroad  like  a gentleman.  Now  he  was  returning 
home.  He  had  evidently  had  a royal  time. 

One  afternoon  on  deck  he  said  to  us;  "I  have 
written  a pamphlet  on  the  freedom  of  women; 
when  1 have  published  it,  1 will  send  you  a copy.” 
And  as  he  talked  on  of  his  hopes  for  his  sisters, 
we  got  a glimpse  of  how  the  beautiful  English 
homes  he  had  been  in  had  affected  him,  and  saw 

that  he  had  felt  the  influence  of  refined  and  cultured 
23 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

ladies.  He  had  seen  real  homes  with  women 
reverenced  and  chivalrously  cared  for.  He  had 
found  them  educated  and  interested  in  all  that 
interested  father,  brother,  or  husband:  and  not 
only  that,  but  they  were  treated  as  companions 
and  were  even  allowed  to  advise  and  help.  It 
had  been  an  enchanting  vision  to  him.  We  did 
not  wonder  that  under  its  spell  he  had  written 
his  pamphlet.  It  was  delightful;  but  what  a 
wide  gulf  lay  between  the  vision  and  the  home 
to  which  he  was  returning! 

We  tried  to  picture  it  all.  We  knew  that 
when  our  ship  entered  the  harbor,  and  the  tug 
carried  us  to  the  pier,  his  mother  would  not  be 
found  standing  in  the  crowd  on  the  shore,  lean- 
ing on  his  father’s  arm  and  trying  to  catch  the 
first  glimpse  of  her  boy  among  the  passengers. 
Had  there  followed  him  all  these  years  the  tender 
weekly  letter  from  his  mother?  Had  there  been 
constant  chatty  letters  from  his  sisters  giving 
him  all  the  home  news,  telling  of  their  studies 
and  of  the  good  times  they  were  having,  and 
how  interested  they  were  in  all  he  saw  and  wrote 
about,  and  of  the  plans  they  had  made  of  all  they 
would  do  when  he  got  home  ? Had  he  carried 
their  pictures,  and,  when  homesick  or  weary, 

looked  at  them  with  longing  eyes  ? Had 
24 


A Snap  Shot  at  Modern  India 

mother’s  picture  stood  on  his  desk  all  these  years 
and  been  an  inspiration  to  study  and  pure  living?' 

No!  he  is  coming  back  to  his  father’s  house,  but 
not  to  a home  as  that  is  regarded  in  the  Western 
sense  of  the  word.  The  front  part  of  the  house 
may  be  furnished  comfortably,  even  in  English 
style,  but  it  does  not  contain  the  apartments  of 
the  family,  but  those  of  the  men  and  their  friends; 
while  the  women’s  apartments  are  in  the  rear. 
There  will  be  no  happy  family  gathering  at  the 
first  meal.  The  traveller  will  not  offer  his  arm  to 
his  mother  and  escort  her  to  the  table;  and 
though  the  son  has  been  gone  so  long,  yet  the 
father  will  not  help  mother  first  to  food,  and  then 
the  sisters  before  he  helps  his  son.  Oh  no!  but 
the  mother  and  sisters  will  stand  and  wait  upon 
the  men  until  they  have  finished  before  they  eat. 

The  mother  in  her  great  joy  to  see  her  son  has 
no  doubt  greeted  and  caressed  him,  but  the  sis- 
ters, if  they  have  not  gone  to  the  homes  of  their 
husbands,  will  stand  timidly  in  the  background, 
and  if  spoken  to,  cover  their  faces  with  their 
sarees,  or  else  laugh  and  run  away.  They  ask  no 
questions,  as  he  tells  of  Paris,  Vienna  and  Dres- 
den; of  the  pictures  and  the  beautiful  scenery  he 
has  been  privileged  to  behold.  They  may  be  in- 
terested in  what  he  has  had  to  eat  while  away, 
25 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

and  his  descriptions  of  English  ladies  and  customs. 
When  he  opens  his  boxes,  what  has  he  brought 
them  ? Dainty  souvenirs  of  his  travels  and  his 
English  home,  that  will  be  as  treasures  to  them 
for  years  ? No  ; if  anything,  perhaps  some  silken 
fabric  for  a garment,  or  a bit  of  jewelry.  That 
is  all  Indian  women  are  supposed  to  care  for; 
nothing  else.  And  the  mother,  who  remembers 
how  he  used  to  cling  to  her  skirts,  and  how  she 
indulged  him  in  dainty  bits  of  food,  and  helped 
to  win  his  way  with  his  father,  what  is  her 
meed  after  all  these  years  ? Yes,  he  has  appreci- 
ated the  food  she  had  prepared  for  him  with  un- 
usual care;  he  is  well  and  alive;  his  reformed 
ways  startle  her  a little,  and  she  hopes  he  will 
not  go  too  far;  but  there  is  such  a difference  be- 
tween him  now,  and  when  he  clung  to  her  as  a 
little  boy.  He  lives  in  another  world  from  hers, 
and  there  is  little  fellowship  or  aught  in  common 
between  them.  In  the  evening,  the  thought  of 
the  day  comes  outas  she  says  to  the  father:  “ He 

must  be  married  soon,”  and  suggests  a little  girl 
of  ten,  the  child  of  a wealthy  casteman.  It  has 
long  been  the  dream  of  her  heart  to  see  the  two 
families  united;  and  again  and  again  has  she  sat 
and,  in  a kind  of  day-dream,  gone  all  through 
the  marriage  festivities. 

26 


HINDU  HOME  LIFE— GRINDING 


HINDU  HOME  LIFE— SPINNING 


A Snap  Shot  at  Modern  India 

And  the  young  man  himself  ? What  a rough 
dispelling  of  all  the  bright  dreams  he  has  had. 
Iron  custom  rises  before  him  like  a wall.  He 
faces  again  the  joint  family  system,  and  the  rev- 
erence for  elders  enjoined  even  if  it  be  at  the  ex- 
pense of  all  personal  convictions:  then  the  host 
of  relatives  of  all  degrees  of  nearness  with  their 
families  whom  he  must  regard.  He  has  no  cour- 
age to  propose  his  plans  to  them.  And  what 
will  it  avail  to  talk  it  over  at  the  club,  for  his 
sympathizers  are  all  in  the  same  box  with  him- 
self ? Reform  looks  impossible.  With  a sigh 
he  lays  his  manuscript  on  the  freedom  of  women 
aside,  and  we  hear  the  whispered  sigh:  " Kya 
Karun  ” (What  can  I do  ?). 

He  knows  instinctively  what  plans  his  mother 
has  for  his  marriage.  He  knows  he  can  evade 
her  for  a time,  but  not  for  long.  He  desperately 
declares  he  will  not  marry  a child.  He  knows 
the  heavy  weight  of  public  opinion.  Are  there 
no  girls  of  suitable  age,  who  are  fit  to  be  com- 
panions to  a husband  No,  not  one.  He  thinks 
of  the  storm  that  would  break  over  his  head  if 
he  thought  of  a young  widow  near  his  own 
age.  He  remembers  young  Krishnarao,  who 
did  brave  all  and  marry  a widow  ; and  he  re- 
members, all  too  well,  how  the  lot  he  had  to 

27 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

bear  finally  broke  his  spirit  and  he  committed 
suicide. 

Then  he  remembers  with  a sigh  Bhimabai, 
sister  of  one  of  his  schoolmates,  who  was  such  a 
beautiful  girl,  so  bright  and  intelligent,  just  a 
few  years  younger  than  himself.  She  was  wid- 
owed at  eight.  He  could  have  loved  her  and 
been  happy:  but  what  is  this  they  tell  him? 
They  say  that  there  has  just  been  a great  public 
scandal,  that  she  has  killed  her  child  and  been 
sentenced  to  imprisonment  for  life.  Poor  girl, 
what  possibilities  she  had  in  her  ! He  feels  des- 
perate enough  to  defy  all  public  opinion  and 
show  that  there  is  one  man  that  has  the  courage 
of  his  convictions;  but  there  comes  back  upon 
him  with  renewed  power  the  thought  of  his 
father  and  mother.  He  is  their  only  son.  They 
have  never  denied  him  anything.  They  do  not 
mind  his  being  reformed,  if  only  he  is  not  too  re- 
formed. If  he  breaks  away  from  old  customs, 
it  will  break  their  hearts.  And  then  his  sister  is 
just  to  be  married  to  a boy  belonging  to  a very 
wealthy,  but  orthodox  family.  And  that  would 
be  broken  off  if  he  were  to  follow  his  convic- 
tions. Over  and  over  he  fights  the  battle,  only 
at  last  to  succumb,  to  walk  in  what  his  parents 

call  ‘‘the  good  old  way.”  He  despises  himself, 
28 


A Snap  Shot  at  Modern  India 

and  feels  he  is  a hypocrite.  His  perorations 
at  the  club  on  reform  seem  to  himself  a mockery. 
If  these  customs  which  he  hates  are  based  on 
Hindu  Shastras,  then  he  does  not  want  anything 
to  do  with  the  Shastras,  and  calls  himself  an 
agnostic  or  an  infidel.  Is  it  any  wonder  ? Are  the 
old  people  blameless  for  the  irreligiousness  of  the 
young  men  of  India  ? If  these  young  men  hate 
the  customs,  are  they  not  going  to  despise  the  re- 
ligion on  which  the  customs  are  based  and  de- 
fended ? 

But  we  have  digressed.  Our  friend  on  the 
deck  is  still  talking  of  the  freedom  of  women. 
We  saw  he  longed  that  the  women  of  India 
should  have  the  same  opportunities  as  Western 
women  for  unfettered  growth  to  womanhood 
and  education;  and  for  the  possibilities  of  a real 
home.  But  it  can  never  come  till  men  are  re- 
formed in  their  view  of  women.  The  mass  of 
men  in  India  do  not  respect  or  reverence  woman. 
She  makes  no  appeal  to  chivalry  in  them.  Only 
a few  days  ago  a fine  young  woman,  a widow, 
was  condemned  to  imprisonment  for  life  for  the 
murder  of  her  infant.  We  are  told  she  was  ex- 
ceptionally intelligent,  and  educated  to  some  ex- 
tent. The  men,  her  partners  in  the  crime,  es- 
caped. Is  this  going  to  make  no  appeal  to  Indian 
29 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

manhood  ? If  the  men,  who  should  be  the  pro- 
tectors of  helpless  girlhood  and  womanhood,  are 
themselves  not  free  to  act,  it  seems  better  to  call 
in  the  aid  of  government  rather  than  let  woman 
suffer  on  and  on.  If  this  must  go  on  until  all  the 
old  orthodox  element  of  this  generation  has 
passed  away,  then  the  rising  generation  is  going 
to  be  so  much  weaker  and  unfitted  to  cope  with 
these  social  questions.  Men  who  have  not  been 
allowed  to  live  after  their  convictions,  who  have 
lived  hypocritically,  and,  to  be  able  to  be  con- 
sistent, have  been  forced  to  be  infidels  and  agnos- 
tics, are  not  going,  in  the  supreme  moment  of 
opportunity,  to  rise  into  strength  and  aggressive- 
ness. We  feel  it  to  be  a critical  time  for  India’s 
manhood  as  well  as  for  her  womanhood;  for  the 
downfall  of  womanhood  is  sure  to  bring  with  it 
the  downfall  of  manhood  also. 

:|c  * * * ♦ 

Our  steamer  at  last  lay  anchored  off  Bombay. 
We  bade  good-bye  to  our  Indian  friend  and  have 
never  heard  of  him  since.  He  has  added  one 
more  to  the  hundreds  of  young  men  in  India  who 
hope  and  long  for  a chance,  but  feel  powerless  to 
make  any  movement  toward  its  accomplishment. 

He  was  no  doubt  met  k the  railway  station  on 
30 


A Snap  Shot  at  Modern  India 

his  arrival  home  by  his  father  and  male  friends, 
but  was  not  allowed  to  eat  with  them  until  he 
had  performed  prayaschitt  (atonement)  for  his 
stay  abroad;  part  of  which  consists  in  swallow- 
ing a disgusting  mixture  composed  of  the  five 
products  of  the  cow,  viz:  milk,  curds,  butter, 
dung  and  urine.  Cleansed  by  this  and  a few 
other  ceremonies  from  what  he  knows  has  been 
no  sin,  our  friend  is  reinstated  into  caste.  Per- 
haps he  protested,  or  maybe  he  yielded  to  the 
inevitable  with  another  gasp  of  Kyd  Karun. 

The  prayaschitt  will  be  no  bar  to  his  conscience 
in  dining  in  a private  way  occasionally  a I' An- 
glaise : or  in  buying  tea  and  cake  at  the  railway 
stations  on  a journey.  Later  on  we  may  perhaps 
find  him  a middle-aged  man  serving  as  a judge 
in  some  country  district,  having  buried  two  child- 
wives,  and  married  a third  of  ten  years  of  age; 
his  aspirations  and  convictions  sacrificed;  an  un- 
happy, discontented,  cynical  man.  We  may  find 
him  occasionally  on  Congress  platforms,  his  elo- 
quence reserved  for  political  questions  which  re- 
quire no  self-denial,  and  which  bring  about  no 
ostracism;  while  as  to  social  reform,  his  plea  is 
still,  Kyd  Karun,  and  his  hope  is  deferred  to  the 
next  generation. 

Government,  too,  joins  in  the  refrain  of  Kyd 
31 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

Karun  and  says  to  zealous  ones  “wait”;  but  in 
the  meantime  who  is  to  be  responsible  for  the 
hundreds  of  girl-wives  who  will  perish,  as  victims 
of  the  system  of  child  marriage,  or  be  ruined 
physically  for  life;  for  the  suicides  of  girl-widows 
and  the  moral  ruin  of  many;  for  the  moral  and 
physical  ruin  of  hundreds  of  Muralis  and  temple 
girls  ? Again  we  ask,  who  is  to  be  responsible, 
while  men  wait,  for  all  this  moral  wrong  and 
suffering  ? And  how  long  is  it  to  be  allowed  to 
go  on  ? 


32 


Ill 


CHILD  MARRIAGE 

The  story  of  creation  is  simply  told.  Of 
woman,  it  is  said,  God  caused  a deep  sleep  to 
fall  upon  Adam,  and  took  one  of  his  ribs  from 
his  side.  “ And  the  rib  which  the  Lord  God  had 
taken  from  man,  made  He  a woman  and  brought 
her  unto  the  man.”  And  Adam  said:  “This  is 
now  bone  of  my  bone,  and  flesh  of  my  flesh; 
she  shall  be  called  woman.”  “God  did  not  take 
woman  from  man’s  head,  that  she  should  rule 
over  him.  Neither  did  He  take  her  from  his  feet, 
that  she  should  be  his  slave,  or  that  he  should 
trample  on  her.  But  he  took  her  from  his  side 
that  she  should  be  his  companion  and  help-meet.” 
The  word  child  marriage  is  a misnomer.  Mar- 
riage was  never  meant  for  children.  When 
Khanderao  Gaikowar,  the  Maharaja  of  Baroda, 
married  his  two  favorite  pigeons  with  all  the 
pomp,  ceremony  and  expenditure  bestowed  upon 
the  marriages  of  his  own  children,  all  educated 
India  was  scandalized;  but  to  the  outside  world 
it  was  no  greater  mockery  than  the  marriage  of  a 

girl  of  eight  to  a grey-headed  old  man  of  sixty; 

33 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

or  a baby  girl  of  nine  months  to  a boy  of  six;  or 
even  a girl  of  nine  to  a youth  of  sixteen. 

What  conception  of  life  and  its  duties  can  such 
brides  have.^  Marriage  has  been  suggested  to 
them  ever  since  they  knew  anything,  and  is  asso- 
ciated in  their  minds  with  plenty  of  sweets,  fire- 
works, gorgeous  dresses,  and  for  a few  days  to 
be  the  centre  of  attention,  with  a possible  ride  on 
a horse  or  in  a palanquin  in  a gay  evening  pro- 
cession. Marriage  to  the  bride  is  a synonym  of 
a grand  tamasha  (show).  The  outside  world 
agrees  with  the  child.  It  is  a grand  tamasha.  It 
is  not  marriage. 

We  remember  how,  on  one  occasion,  a Hindu 
friend  called  upon  us,  and  took  our  little  girl  upon 
his  knee.  He  wanted  to  say  something  to  her 
suitable  for  a child,  and  he  said  the  first  thing  he 
would  naturally  have  said  to  a little  Hindu  girl. 
He  looked  her  in  the  face,  and  said  in  a laughing 
way,  “Well,  when  are  you  going  to  get  mar- 
ried?” Our  little  maid  looked  at  him  with 
great  wondering  eyes,  and  a confused  silence  fell 
over  the  room,  until  the  subject  was  changed. 
The  little  lass  soon  forgot  the  query,  but  we 
never  did;  and  many  a time  as  we  tucked  her  in 
her  bed  at  night,  or  watched  her  eager  enthusiasm 

over  her  studies,  or  noticed  her  guardianship  over 
34 


Child  Marriage 

her  brother,  or  felt  her  loving  care  that  saved  us 
some  burden,  have  we  thanked  God  that  no  iron 
custom  had  power  to  take  her  from  our  shelter- 
ing love  and  care,  until  she  was  able  to  stand 
alone,  or  choose  for  herself.  She  was  our  first- 
born, and  awakened  in  our  hearts  for  the  first  time 
that  rich,  parental  love  before  which  "there  is 
neither  male  nor  female.”  It  is  true  she  was 
" only  a girl,”  but  for  years  we  called  her  " Com- 
fort.” Her  father  did  not  announce  to  his  friends 
that  "nothing”  had  been  born,  and  motherhood 
was  not  embittered  by  her  birth. 

Knowing  the  heart  of  the  parent,  we  often 
wonder  how  Hindu  mothers  feel  when  they  send 
a winning  little  girl  of  eight  away  from  their  care 
and  love  to  a strange  home,  to  take  the  risk  of 
an  unkind  mother-in-law  or  a worse  husband. 
And  as  they  tell  her  never  to  forsake  her  hus- 
band's home  and  return  to  them  save  as  a dead 
body,  we  wonder  that  the  very  words  do  not 
freeze  on  their  lips. 

What  loneliness  must  fill  a child-wife’s  heart, 
when  sent  away  from  play  with  happy  brothers 
and  sisters,  away  from  a loving  mother’s  care 
and  sympathy,  as  she  takes  up  her  life  in  her 
new  home  with  the  companionship  of  a grave 
husband  of  perhaps  thirty-five  or  forty  in  a 

35 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

household  of  elderly  women,  and  perhaps  with 
stepchildren  older  than  herself  1 We  have  tried 
to  picture  our  own  child  in  such  a position,  and 
instinctively  we  have  covered  our  eyes  with  our 
hands  to  shut  out  the  awful  scene;  and  have 
said;  “Impossible!” 

We  consider  child  marriage  the  greatest  of 
woman’s  wrongs;  and  when  accentuated  by 
caste  and  the  joint  family  system,  it  confronts  us 
like  a very  Gibraltar.  The  custom  is  at  least  five 
hundred  years  older  than  the  Christian  Era.  It 
is  not  the  fruit  of  the  Mohammedan  invasion  as 
some  contend.  The  Zenana  system  is,  but  child 
marriage  is  woven  in  with  the  Hindu  religion, 
and  was  inaugurated  and  sanctioned  by  its  law- 
givers. 

Child  marriage  leads  to  manifold  evils.  It  may 
lead  to  much  unhappiness,  to  much  physical  suf- 
fering of  the  child-wife,  and  possibly  to  her 
death.  We  have  been  told  of  a tribe  whose 
wives  are  never  able  to  walk  upright.  Through 
the  efforts  that  were  made  after  the  death  of 
Phulmani  Dasi,  the  age  of  consent  was  raised  to 
twelve.  This  may  defend  girls  from  strangers, 
but  can  be  made  most  ineffectual  in  the  case  of 
husbands.  To  prove  that  the  case  of  Phulmani 

was  not  an  isolated  one,  we  ask  our  readers  to 
36 


Child  Marriage 

turn  to  the  awful  facts  that  were  brought  for- 
ward at  that  time;  to  the  “ Indian  Medical  Juris- 
prudence,” and  to  the  “Life-work  of  Mr.  Mala- 
bari.”  An  Indian  lady  asked  an  Indian  medical 
student  for  a copy  of  the  Medical  jurisprudence. 
He  curtly  replied  that  she  did  not  want  to  read 
that,  and  when  she  did  get  a copy  and  perused 
it,  she  did  not  wonder  that  he  did  not  want  her 
to  read  it.  It  may  be  well  to  remember  that  the 
husband  of  Phulmani  got  only  one  year’s  im- 
prisonment as  punishment! 

Again,  child  marriage  is  naturally  the  direct 
cause  of  much  widowhood.  Considering  the 
fact  that  of  the  whole  number  of  children  born 
in  any  given  year,  only  about  one-half  the  num- 
ber ever  reach  the  age  of  twenty,  it  will  not  be 
strange  if  we  have  hundreds  of  widows  who 
scarcely  knew  they  were  ever  wives.  It  is  also 
a great  bar  to  the  education  of  women  and  their 
full  development.  It  leads  to  pauperism  and  to 
national  degeneracy,  and  it  often  leads  to  great 
cruelty. 

We  personally  know  a fine  Indian  woman,  in- 
dustrious, careful,  and  with  more  than  ordinary 
executive  ability.  She  was  married  at  nine 
months  to  a boy  of  six!  They  grew  up  together 

as  playmates  and  knew  no  discord.  As  she  ap- 
37 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

preached  womanhood,  her  father-in-law  made 
improper  proposals  to  her  which  she  resented 
and  rejected.  This  so  angered  him  that  he  be- 
came her  enemy  and  turned  the  heart  of  his  son 
against  her.  Then,  what  might  have  ripened 
into  a lifelong  affection,  was  turned  into  hatred. 
The  young  husband  was  most  cruel,  beating  her 
with  fire-wood  or  anything  he  could  lay  his 
hands  upon.  Once  her  mother,  unable  to  bear 
it,  took  her  away,  but  soon  repented  and  started 
to  take  her  back  to  her  husband,  saying,  “ When 
I gave  her  in  marriage,  she  became  as  dead  to 
me;  let  what  will  happen  now.”  But  fearing 
she  would  be  killed  by  her  husband's  violence,  a 
remoter  relative  took  her  away;  kind  friends 
have  shielded  her,  and  she  has  never  returned  to 
her  “loving  lord.”  She  is  now  leading  a use- 
ful, honorable,  but  lonely  life. 

Occasionally  her  husband  tries  to  get  her  back. 
If  he  appealed  to  the  law,  she  would  have  to  go. 
Why  not  get  a case  against  him  for  cruelty? 
She  could  not  get  witnesses.  No  relative  or 
casteman  or  neighbor  would  testify  against  him. 
She  would  have  to  go  back,  the  victim  of  a con- 
tract made  when  she  was  nine  months  old. 
Marriage  should  be  optional,  but  religion  and 

custom  decree  that  Indian  girls  must  be  married. 
38 


HINDU  GENTLEMAN  AND  GIRL  WIFE  WHEN  ARE  YOU  GOING  TO  GET  MARRIED? 


Child  Marriage 

Twelve  years  is  the  maximum  age  for  marriage. 
If  the  girl  is  not  married  then,  her  friends  are 
disgraced  as  well  as  herself.  But  a boy  can 
marry  at  any  age  after  five,  or  not  at  all  if  that 
pleases  him  better.  Though  the  latter  course  is 
not  approved,  still  if  he  does  not  marry,  he  is 
never  persecuted  or  ostracized.  Cardinal  Man- 
ning justly  says: 

“ By  the  law  of  nature,  marriage  is  a voluntary 
and  perpetual  contract  of  which  the  contracting 
parties  are  the  true  ministers.  It  is  an  abuse  of 
language  as  well  as  of  moral  and  social  life  to 
call  these  marriages.  Moreover,  infants  have 
natural  rights  of  which  no  parent  can  deprive 
them.  The  law  of  England  protects  the  rights 
not  only  of  infants,  but  of  minors.  Liberty  to 
dispose  of  themselves  is  a right  inherent  in 
all.” 

Rakhmabai  fought  the  matter  out  in  the  courts 
of  Bombay.  In  childhood  she  was  betrothed  to 
a boy  relative  of  her  own  caste.  She,  for  vari- 
ous reasons,  was  kept  at  home  and  well  educated 
till  she  was  nineteen.  The  boy  had  grown  up 
illiterate  and  was  in  many  ways  repulsive  to  her. 
When  he  came  to  claim  his  bride,  she  felt  it  was 
a cruel  custom  that  made  an  infant  betrothal 

binding,  and  refused  to  go.  The  nusoand  insti- 
39 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

tuted  a suit  against  her.  On  the  results  hung 
vast  issues.  Eager  men  all  over  the  country  con- 
tended with  the  spirit  of  the  seven  princes  of 
Persia  and  Media  in  the  days  of  Esther.  They 
too,  felt  that  if  she  were  victorious,  “ Then  this 
deed  of  Rakhmabai’s  shall  come  abroad  unto  all 
women,  so  that  they  shall  despise  their  husbands 
in  their  eyes  when  it  shall  be  reported.” 

Rakhmabai,  and  her  friends  who  stood  by  her, 
felt  it  was  not  for  herself  alone  that  she  con- 
tended. If  she  had  won  her  case,  what  a rift  in 
the  wrongs  of  womanhood  it  would  have  made! 
All  India  was  roused.  It  showed  that  it  could  be 
roused.  There  were  eager  men  on  both  sides. 
And  what  were  the  results  ? 

At  the  first  trial  Justice  Pinhey  dismissed  it, 
declaring  that  “ it  would  be  barbarous  and  re- 
volting to  all  sense  of  justice  to  compel  a woman 
to  consummate  a marriage  that  had  been  ar- 
ranged without  her  consent  and  against  her 
will.”  There  was  an  appeal  from  this,  and  an- 
other English  judge  decided  that  she  was 
Dadaji’s  wife,  and  to  his  house  she  must  go, 
or  else  go  to  prison.  Another  appeal  was  made, 
but  a compromise  was  effected.  Rakhmabai 
paid  two  thousand  rupees  to  her  husband  with 

which  he  could  marry  another  wife;  she  also 
40 


Child  Marriage 

bore  the  cost  of  the  trial  which  was  several 
thousands  more,  and  in  the  sight  of  her  country- 
men remains  a wife  and  can  never  marry.  But 
Dadaji  is  a man.  He  can  have  another  wife  and 
a home.  Fearful  m.en  went  back  to  their  homes 
in  security,  while  those  who  fought  for  Rakh- 
mabai  still  wait,  if  “hope  deferred”  has  not 
made  their  hearts  sick. 

But  the  bitter  irony  of  it  all  was  that  this  case 
was  not  won  under  Hindu  law,  but  under  an 
English  law,  {Restitution  of  Conjugal  Rights,  Act 
Vlll.,  1895)  imported  into  India  and  enforced 
with  imprisonment;  and  this  same  lawwas  ob- 
solete in  England  when  this  case  was  tried! 
While  Hindus  deplore  this  imported  law,  and 
declare  it  to  be  foreign  to  all  Hindu  ideas  and 
wishes,  and  leaders  among  them  have  earnestly 
tried  to  have  it  set  aside  (See  Chap,  xiii..  Art.  8), 
yet  Dadaji  and  his  friends  saw  no  inconsistency 
in  prosecuting  Rakhmabai  under  it,  and  were 
glad  to  avail  themselves  of  it. 

We  know  of  many  women  in  Western  lands 
who  have  not  married,  not  because  they  had  no 
offer,  but  because  they  felt  that  there  were  claims 
upon  them  that  forbade  it.  And  the  earth  has 
been  the  richer  for  their  self-denying  lives.  We 

recall  one  young  woman  who  was  engaged  to 
41 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

be  married,  when  her  mother  died,  and  her  aged 
father  was  left  alone.  She  gave  up  all  thought 
of  a home  for  herself,  and  lived  on  with  her 
father,  tenderly  caring  for  him  through  years  of 
frail  health  till  he  passed  into  the  beyond.  One 
of  the  most  beautiful  sights  on  earth  is  a noble, 
unselfish  woman,  whether  she  be  wife,  mother 
or  sister. 

Hindu  law  gives  no  divorce,  though  custom 
allows  it  in  some  low  castes.  One  of  the 
Swamis  that  visited  America  last  year  was  asked 
by  a New  York  lady  in  our  hearing,  if  marriage 
was  held  sacred  in  India.  “Very,”  he  added, 
“ far  more  that  in  this  country,  madame.”  And 
he  sneeringly  referred  to  divorce  as  it  exists  in 
America  and  added:  “We  have  no  divorce  in 
India.”  Why  did  he  not  tell  the  whole  truth  ? 
For  woman  marriage  is  irrevocable.  She  has  no 
choice  in  it,  as  she  is  usually  married  before  she 
knows  what  marriage  is.  Her  husband  may  ill- 
treat  her,  beat  her,  almost  kill  her,  but  she  can 
get  no  divorce  from  him,  or  from  a contract  that 
she  never  was  a party  to.  If  she  runs  away  to 
escape  his  cruelty,  she  must,  for  the  rest  of  her 
life,  be  regarded  as  a widow  and  disgraced.  But 
he,  noble  man,  can  marry  another,  or  he  can 

bring  other  wives  into  the  home  if  she  stays,  or 
42 


Child  Marriage 

if  he  choose,  he  can  desert  her  entirely.  But 
there  is  no  remedy  for  her. 

We  know  another  Indian  woman  who  was 
married  to  a young  boy  of  sixteen.  The  boy’s 
father  was  a Brahman  priest.  After  a year  the 
little  bride  was  taken  with  much  pomp  and  cere- 
mony to  her  husband’s  home.  The  girl’s  ap- 
pearance did  not  suit  the  young  husband.  There 
was  an  aunt  in  the  family  who  spared  nothing 
to  work  against  the  child,  finding  fault  with  all 
she  did.  If  she  went  near  the  husband  to  serve 
him  with  food,  he  would  hit  her  hard  on  the 
crown  of  her  head  with  his  knuckles.  Though 
she  was  but  ten,  yet  they  expected  her  to  do 
every  kind  of  work.  She  did  the  household 
work,  brought  water  for  all,  cleaned  the  utensils, 
cleaned  the  floor,  did  the  washing,  milked  the 
cow  and  kept  the  stable  clean.  If  the  cow  did 
not  yield  the  proper  quantity  of  milk,  she  was 
punished.  The  relatives  in  the  house  said  the 
girl  was  possessed  by  an  evil  spirit,  and  would 
bring  misfortune  to  the  family. 

The  course  of  treatment  she  received  was 
enough  to  turn  her  into  a demon.  Her  father- 
in-law  would  hang  her  up  to  the  beam  of  the 
roof  and  beat  her  pitilessly.  He  would  some- 
times suspend  her  to  the  same  place  by  her  ankles 
43 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

— perhaps  for  variety.  Under  her  head,  thus 
suspended,  he  would  put  a vessel  with  live  coals 
in  it,  on  which  he  would  throw  red  peppers  and 
almost  suffocate  her.  Sometimes  when  he  had 
hung  her  to  the  roof,  for  fear  she  would  be 
tempted  to  break  the  rope  and  fall,  he  would 
spread  branches  of  prickly  pear  on  the  floor  be- 
neath her,  and  let  her  hang  till  he  chose  to  relieve 
her.  Once  or  twice  this  man  inflicted  on  her  a 
cruel  punishment  which  decency  forbids  us  to 
relate.  In  both  these  stories,  it  has  been  the 
father-in-law  who  has  been  the  aggressive  one, 
and  not  the  proverbial  mother-in-law.  She,  our 
friend  said,  was  usually  very  kind  to  her,  only 
once  in  a while  did  she  punish  her  by  shutting 
her  up  in  a room  where  red  peppers  were  kept 
burning!  When  she  was  fourteen,  her  husband 
died,  and  she  was  subjected  to  greater  hardships. 
Her  head  was  shaven,  her  bright  colored  dresses 
and  few  ornaments  were  taken  away,  while  she 
lived  on  one  meal  a day  and  toiled  hard. 

The  neighbors  knew  of  all  this  cruelty  and 
suggested  to  her  to  run  away,  but  their  motive 
was  evil.  The  old  hag  of  an  aunt  tried  to  per- 
suade her  into  evil  connections,  but  the  girl  re- 
mained firm.  When  her  father  heard  of  it,  he 

exhorted  her  not  to  do  it,  but  to  stay  and  die. 

44 


Child  Marriage 

This  had  been  her  commission  when  she  left  her 
father’s  house  as  a bride.  The  father-in-law’s 
priestly  career  was  not  disturbed  by  his  cruelty. 
The  public  did  not  feel  that  it  disqualified  him  in 
the  least.  Had  he  been  in  a Western  land,  public 
opinion  would  have  made  it  unbearable  for  him 
and  the  old  aunt.  They  would  have  been  cast 
out  from  decent  society. 

In  time  other  misfortunes  fell  on  this  house- 
hold. The  kind-hearted  mother-in-law  died.  The 
father-in-law  then  seems  to  have  repented  in 
a measure,  and  before  his  death,  put  the  young 
woman  into  safer  and  better  hands.  The  old  hag 
of  an  aunt  followed  her,  and  tried  to  get  posses- 
sion of  her  through  the  law,  but  she  was  declared 
not  a minor,  and  escaped.  Need  we  add  that  the 
face  of  this  young  woman  still  bears  the  trace  of 
all  this  suffering  and  cruelty  ? She  says  that  she 
never  once  planned  to  escape,  but  just  nerved 
herself  to  suffer,  for  had  it  not  always  been  taught 
and  impressed  upon  her  that  she  must  die  rather 
than  forsake  her  husband’s  house? 

We  have  not  told  this  story  of  cruelty  for  the 
purpose  of  being  sensational,  nor  to  convey  the 
idea  that  all  Hindus  treat  their  wives  in  this  way. 
We  are  glad  it  is  not  the  general  way:  but  still, 

we  are  told,  such  cases  are  not  rare.  Nor  have 
45 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

we  added  stories  of  wife-murders  of  which  often 
the  neighbors  and  relatives  are  silent  witnesses. 
Neither  have  we  told  it  because  there  are  no  so- 
cial abuses  in  other  lands.  There  are,  but  they 
are  never  vindicated  as  religion  and  custom. 
Public  sentiment  makes  it  lively  for  the  perpetra- 
tors, and  protects  woman.  But  we  have  told 
this  story,  because  it  reveals  the  helplessness  and 
unprotectedness  of  woman,  in  India.  She  is 
neither  protected  by  the  chivalry  of  men  nor  by 
public  opinion. 

What  avenues  were  there  through  which  this 
woman  could  escape  such  cruelty  ? The  nearest 
tank  or  well,  or  a life  of  shame.  No  one  near 
her  would  give  her  honest  employment.  The 
girl  would  be  disgraced  in  their  eyes  for  leaving 
her  husband.  No  public  disgrace  would  be  at- 
tached to  the  husband  or  the  family  for  cruelty. 
Did  she  go  far  enough  away,  she  might  get  a 
place  somewhere  as  cook,  but  that  is  all  that 
would  be  open  to  her.  There  is  so  little  employ- 
ment open  to  women,  while  as  a lone  woman 
she  would  be  exposed  to  untold  temptation,  and 
find  but  little  respect.  To  many  women,  suffer- 
ing on  seems  far  preferable  than  to  venture  on  an 
unknown,  uncertain  life  of  disgrace,  temptation 

and  loneliness.  If  parental  love  and  pity  can  no 
46 


Child  Marriage 


longer  bear  to  witness  her  position  and  shelter 
her,  then  the  parents  have  also  to  suffer  disgrace 
and  their  daughter  must  be  in  their  house  as  a 
widow. 

The  story  reveals  the  wrong  of  the  joint  family 
system.  The  patriarchal  system  has  many  beauti- 
ful features,  but  was  better  suited  to  primitive 
times  than  to  the  nineteenth  century.  It  leaves 
but  little  room  for  personal  conviction  and  indi- 
viduality. A young  bride  does  not  go  to  her 
new  home  as  queen  of  her  husband’s  heart,  and 
mistress  of  his  house;  but  she  may  live,  rear 
children  and  die,  subject  to  her  mother-in-law, 
widowed  aunts  and  elder  sisters-in-law.  She 
may  never  talk  with  her  husband  openly  and 
frankly  before  them;  and  never  understand  the 
first  syllable  of  her  rights  or  the  freedom  of 
women;  and  even  to  resent  the  slightest  sugges- 
tion of  them  is  regarded  as  the  deepest  heresy. 
If  the  family  and  her  husband  are  kind  she  is 
contented  and  happy.  May  God  pity  the  woman 
that  suffers  and  understands  as  well. 

The  story  reveals  the  abominable  condition  of 
public  opinion,  the  need  of  modified  legislation 
for  women,  and  the  awful  inequality  between 
man  and  woman. 


47 


IV 


ENFORCED  WIDOWHOOD 

Widowhood,  as  well  as  barrenness,  was  a 
kind  of  shame  and  reproach  in  Israel,  as  may  be 
gathered  from  the  words,  “And  shalt  not  re- 
member the  reproach  of  thy  widowhood  any 
more.”  Isa.  liv.  4.  This  thought  prevails  in 
eastern  countries  to-day,  but  it  is  left  to  the 
Hindu  to  excel  in  wronging  and  oppressing  the 
widow. 

In  the  Old  Testament  tender  provision  is  made 
for  widows.  They  were  permitted  to  remarry. 
God  charged  the  people;  “Ye  shall  not  afflict 
any  widow  or  fatherless  child”  (Ex.  xxii.  22), 
and  then  follows  the  solemn  warning,  coupled 
with  a promise;  “If  thou  afflict  them  in  anywise 
and  they  cry  at  all  to  Me,  I will  surely  hear  their 
cry;  and  My  wrath  will  wax  hot,  and  I will  kill 
you  with  the  sword;  and  your  wives  shall  be 
widows,  and  your  children  fatherless.”  Again, 
“Leave  thy  fatherless  children,  I will  preserve 
them  alive;  and  let  thy  widows  trust  in  Me.” 
What  balm  these  words  have  been  in  times  of 

bereavement  to  many  hearts  in  Christian  lands. 

48 


Enforced  Widowhood 

We  well  remember  the  night  that  our  own 
family  circle,  sobbing  and  shaken  with  grief, 
knelt  in  the  room  where  a loved  father  had  just 
passed  away,  and  a neighbor  solemnly  and  ten- 
derly addressed  God  in  prayer  as  “The  Father  of 
the  fatherless  and  the  widow’s  God.”  The 
words  stood  out  with  new  light  because  for  the 
first  time  they  covered  our  need.  How  many 
times  that  scene  and  those  words  have  returned 
to  us  as  we  have  beheld  the  sad  face  and  shaven 
head  of  some  widow,  and  made  us  long  to  lead 
her  to  trust  in  the  same  God. 

Then  God  makes  many  charges  to  the  Israel- 
ites, that  they  “should  not  take  a widow’s  rai- 
ment to  pledge,” — Deut.  xxiv.  17;  “the  glean- 
ings of  the  harvest  field  were  to  be  for  the  stran- 
ger, the  fatherless  and  the  widow,” — Deut.  xxiv. 
19;  “they  were  not  to  pervert  judgment  of  the 
widow,” — Deut.  xxvii.  19;  and  “not  to  take  a 
widow’s  ox  for  pledge.”  “ If  ye  oppress  not  the 
widow  . . . then  will  I cause  you  to  dwell 

in  this  place,  in  the  land  that  I gave  to  your  fa- 
thers forever  and  ever,” — Jer.  vii.  6.  Job  pleads 
his  own  righteousness  by  saying,  “ 1 caused  the 
widow’s  heart  to  sing  for  joy,” — ^job  xxix.  13. 
Ezekiel’s  complaint  against  the  people  was  that 

“they  vexed  the  widow,” — Ezek.  xvii.  7.  God 
49 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

through  Malachi  declares  Himself  a swift  witness 
against  those  “that  oppress  the  widow,” — Mai. 
iii.  5.  In  the  New  Testament  are  the  touching 
passages:  “A  certain  poor  widow,” — Mark  xii. 
42,  and  “ The  only  son  of  his  mother,  and  she 
was  a widow,” — Luke  vii.  12.  What  volumes 
these  few  words  tell!  Paul  gives  a touching  de- 
scription in  I Tim.  v.  5:  “ A widow  indeed  and 
desolate.”  James  gives  the  closing  word:  “Pure 
religion  and  undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father, 
is  this,  to  visit  the  fatherless  and  the  widows  in 
their  affliction,  and  to  keep  himself  unspotted 
from  the  world.”  In  the  light  of  these  tender 
promises,  this  loving  care,  these  solemn  warn- 
ings, how  awful  the  treatment  of  Hindu  widows 
appears! 

A Braham  convert  to  Christ  said  to  us  very 
earnestly  a few  years  ago:  “1  used  to  feel  very 
hot  toward  the  English  government  over  what  I 
feel  are  our  wrongs.  But  when  I came  to  know 
God,  and  read  the  Bible,  I understood.  I saw 
God  was  letting  the  English  make  return  to  us 
for  our  long  neglect  and  down-treading  of  the 
low  castes,  and  of  our  oppression  of  the  widow.” 

In  1829,  Lord  William  Bentinck  enacted  the 
now  famous  law  that  prohibited  the  Suttee-x\iQ 
within  British  dominions  whereby  a wife  could 
50 


SUTTKI',  KITIC  (HURNINC;  T1  IlC  DKAI); 


Enforced  Widowhood 

ascend  the  funeral-pyre  of  her  husband  and  per- 
ish in  the  flames  with  the  dead  body.  For  more 
than  two  thousand  years  this  custom  had  been 
in  vogue,  in  which  countless  lives  had  been  de- 
stroyed. It  was  not  compulsory,  but  optional; 
though  no  doubt  great  pressure  was  brought 
upon  the  widow  to  do  it,  and  it  was  considered 
sublimely  meritorious  by  all  classes.  But  once 
the  vow  was  taken  to  do  it,  there  was  no  retreat. 
If  her  courage  failed  her  at  the  last,  or  as  the 
flames  folded  about  her;  or  if  she  managed  to 
escape;  she  could  never  be  reinstated  into  her 
family  or  caste. 

As  a precaution  against  a failure  of  courage, 
women  were  often  drugged,  or  the  wood  was 
tied  down  upon  the  body  so  that  escape  would 
be  impossible.  An  eyewitness  to  a Suttee  tells 
how  as  the  burning  woman  fled  from  the  pyre, 
the  bystanders  among  whom  were  the  dead 
man’s  brothers,  shouted  out:  “Cut  her  down: 
knock  her  down  with  a bamboo;  tie  her  hand 
and  foot  and  throw  her  in  again.”  And  this 
would  have  been  done,  had  not  a humane  mag- 
istrate interfered.  The  woman  fled  into  the 
river,  and  he  had  her  carried  to  the  hospital,  as- 
suring her,  that  as  she  would  now  be  cast  off  by 

her  people,  she  should  be  the  ward  of  the  state. 

51 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

Other  widows  approached  the  pyre  with  the 
greatest  heroism  and  with  the  lofty  idea  of  all  it 
would  mean.  Had  not  their  later  law-books 
promised  that  “ every  woman  who  thus  burns 
herself  shall  remain  in  Paradise  with  her  hus- 
band 350,000,000  years  by  destiny,  also  that  she 
would  secure  salvation  to  herself,  her  husband 
and  to  their  families  of  the  seventh  generation  ? ” 
And  there  is  no  doubt  that  many  preferred  it  to 
the  lot  of  a widow.  One  writer  says,  “The 
momentary  agony  of  suffocation  in  the  flames 
was  nothing  compared  to  her  lot  as  a widow;  ” 
and  others  have  affirmed  that,  were  the  hand  of 
law  once  removed,  many  would  be  glad  to  re- 
turn to  the  custom. 

The  custom  was  not  practiced  in  Vedic  times. 
There  was  not  a single  text  authorizing  it,  but 
by  a willful  mistranslation,  of  which  a part  was 
forged,  the  priesthood  introduced  the  custom, 
and  later  writers  sanctioned  it. 

The  early  missionaries  to  India  petitioned  gov- 
ernment to  abolish  the  crime;  but  they  were 
told  “that  the  social  and  religious  customs  of  the 
people  constituted  no  part  of  the  business  of 
the  government  and  that  their  rule  in  India  might 
be  endangered  by  such  interference.” 

Matters  went  on  till  in  the  early  part  of  this 
52 


Enforced  Widowhood 

century,  when  Lord  William  Bentinck,  who  was 
Governor-General  of  India,  had  the  courage  to 
enact  the  law  referred  to  above,  which  rendered 
the  Suttee  a case  of  culpable  homicide  and  threat- 
ened with  severe  penalties  all  who  encouraged  or 
in  any  way  assisted  at  the  ceremony.  A petition 
was  sent  in  to  the  Privy  Council,  signed  by  eight- 
een thousand  people,  many  of  whom  represented 
the  best  families  of  Calcutta,  asking  that  this 
practice  might  be  allowed  to  continue;  and  al- 
though this  law  was  enacted  in  1829,  it  did  not 
take  full  effect  till  1844.  In  some  of  the  native 
states  it  lingered  on  much  longer.  Wilkins  in 
his  book  on  “Modern  Hinduism,”  records  the 
last  case  he  had  heard  of,  as  occurring  in  1880. 

Says  Ramabai:  “Now  that  the  Suttee-rite, 
partly  by  the  will  of  the  people,  and  partly  by 
the  law  of  the  empire,  is  prohibited,  many  good 
people  feel  easy  in  their  minds,  thinking  that  the 
Hindu  widow  has  been  delivered  from  her  ter- 
rible fate;  but  little  do  they  realize  the  true  state 
of  affairs." 

A leading  reformer  refers  to  the  present  suffer- 
ings of  Indian  widows  as  ''cold  suttee,”  and 
rightly,  too,  we  think.  The  very  word  widow, 
that  should  excite  the  tenderest  compassion  in 

the  hearts  of  men,  is  in  this  land  a synonym  of 
63 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

sorrow,  grief,  shame,  wrong,  contempt,  and 
desolation.  Even  the  word  for  widow,  “rand,” 
is  the  common  word  for  harlot  also.  What  does 
it  matter  if  the  common  people  add  to  it  the  com- 
pound, “mund,”and  call  a widow  “rand-mund,” 
for  “mund”  means  shaven,  and  but  intensifies 
the  shame.  Among  the  Marathi  people,  she  is 
called  “bordkee,”  a contemptuous  term  meaning 
bareheaded,  or  shaven. 

She  is  also  an  inauspicious  thing,  especially  be- 
cause of  the  belief  that  if  one  sees  her  the  first  of 
any  object  in  the  morning,  “bad  luck”  is  in- 
augurated then  for  the  entire  day;  or  if  she 
crosses  the  path  of  one  who  is  just  starting  on  a 
journey,  he  will  postpone  his  journey,  but  will 
not  deny  himself  the  luxury  of  uttering  impreca- 
tions on  her  defenceless  head. 

“Widowhood,”  says  Pandita  Ramabai,  “is  re- 
garded as  a punishment  for  sins  committed  by 
the  woman  in  her  former  existence  on  earth;  and 
that  sin  is  described  as  disobedience  or  disloyalty 
to  the  husband,  or  murdering  him  in  a former 
existence.  If  the  widow  be  a mother  of  sons, 
she  is  not  usually  an  object  of  pity.  Although 
she  is  a sinner,  yet  social  abuse  and  hatred  are 
mitigated  by  the  fact  that  she  is  a mother  of  the 
superior  beings.” 


54 


Enforced  Widowhood 

A widow  whose  children  are  only  girls  does 
not  fare  so  well.  But  it  is  on  the  child-widow, 
or  childless  young  widow,  that  the  abuse  and 
hatred  of  the  community  falls,  for  “a  husband 
having  died  sonless  has  no  right  to  enter  heaven 
or  immortality.  There  is  no  place  for  a man 
who  is  destitute  of  male  offspring.” 

Of  the  young  widow  what  shall  we  say  ? If 
she  is  a mere  child,  the  cloud  passes  over  her 
head  and  for  several  years  leaves  no  shadow. 
She  is,  in  her  happy,  innocent  glee,  unconscious 
of  what  has  happened.  She  romps  and  plays, 
and  makes  “mud-pies,”  nestles  by  her  mother’s 
side,  or  clambers  up  on  her  father’s  knees  as  con- 
fidingly as  any  other  child;  though  she  may  live 
to  know  the  bitter  truth  that,  some  day,  custom 
and  religious  faith  will  have  a stronger  hold  on 
them  than  parental  love.  Now  and  then,  some 
one  says  some  bitter  thing  or  pushes  her  away  as 
if  her  touch  was  defiling.  It  jars  her  child-heart, 
but  childhood  is  full  of  spring  and  it  may  soon  be 
forgotten  in  some  absorbing  game.  Some  day, 
childlike,  she  runs  to  some  neighborly  scene  of 
festivity  only  to  be  sent  away,  as  a widow  is  a 
bad  omen.  She  does  not  understand  why  she 
should  go,  and  hence,  says  Mr.  Ragunathrao, 

“she  is  removed  by  force.  She  cries  and  is  re- 
55 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

warded  by  her  parents  with  a blow  accompanied 
by  such  words  as  these:  ‘ You  were  a most  sin- 
ful being  in  your  previous  birth,  and  you  have 
therefore  been  widowed.  Instead  of  hiding  your 
shame  in  a corner  of  the  house,  you  go  and  injure 
others.’  It  begins  to  dawn  on  her  that  she  is  dif- 
ferent from  other  girls.  She  cannot  bathe  as  they 
do:  if  a priest  comes  around,  she  may  be  shaven 
and  dressed  in  widow’s  garb  and  stood  before  him. 
She  often  asks  why  these  things  are  done  to  her. 
During  the  earlier  part  of  her  life  she  is  appeased 
with  some  story  or  other.  Later,  such  devices 
fail  and  the  truth  breaks  fully  upon  her  mind.” 

At  fifteen  or  sixteen  her  beautiful  glossy  wealth 
of  hair  must  be  shorn;  her  bright  clothes  re- 
moved; no  ornaments  allowed  her;  she  must  eat 
but  one  meal  a day;  must  fast  twice  a month; 
and  must  never  join  in  the  family  feasts  or  jubi- 
lees. She  is  frequently  the  family  drudge;  must 
never  think  of  remarriage;  must  bear  the  taunts 
and  suspicions  of  others  and  be  guarded  lest  she 
bring  upon  the  family  disgrace  by  some  improper 
step ; she  is  never  to  wear  the  bright  red  paint  on 
her  forehead  that  other  women  wear;  she  has  no 
right  to  be  bright  and  happy;  and  if  she  weeps 
much,  she  may  be  taunted  that  she  is  crying  for 
another  husband. 


66 


Enforced  Widowhood 

Her  life  becomes  hopeless  and  intolerable.  It 
sometimes  ends  in  a neighboring  tank  or  well,  or 
launches  out  desperately  and  defiantly  into  a life 
of  shame,  or  becomes  entangled  in  some  social 
infamy  that  may  or  may  not  reach  the  public 
gaze;  but,  at  any  risk,  the  family  must  be  shielded 
from  disgrace,  even  if  crime  be  resorted  to.  A 
wide  difference  is  made  between  the  disgrace  and 
the  crime.  At  the  disgrace,  all  tongues  wag;  at 
the  crime,  the  neighbors  may  be  mute  and  say: 
“Who  knows  how  soon  such  a trouble  may 
come  to  our  own  house.” 

If  the  young  wife  is  sixteen  or  seventeen  when 
her  husband  dies,  and  without  children,  the 
trouble  engulfs  her  without  delay.  When  her 
husband  lies  dying,  if  his  parents  are  there,  she 
is  not  the  one  that  tenderly  ministers  to  him  in 
his  last  moments.  It  would  not  be  proper.  If 
she  is  in  the  room  at  all,  it  is  by  sufferance.  And 
when  he  is  gone,  it  is  as  if  the  sun  were  sud- 
denly blotted  out  of  the  clear  sky.  The  mother- 
in-law’s  grief  may  be  blended  with  bitter  curses, 
and  with  the  declaration  that  she  is  the  one  that 
has  brought  all  this  misfortune  on  the  house- 
hold. 

The  village  barber’s  desecrating  hands  are  laid 

upon  her  hair,  and  womanhood’s  glory  and  cov- 
67 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

ering  is  removed  ; for  her  husband’s  body  cannot 
be  borne  away  till  this  is  done.  The  barber  does 
his  work  roughly  and  with  no  pitying  hand,  and 
she  endures  his  coarse  taunts  and  insults  in  si- 
lent agony.  Her  ornaments  are  stripped  from 
her,  and  a coarse  widow’s  garment,  white  or  red, 
is  brought  her.  How  the  very  iron  enters  her 
soul  as  she  touches  its  coarse  texture;  and  she 
remembers  her  lot  and  disfigurement  with  a fresh 
shriek  and  wail.  What  a wide,  wide  chasm 
this  dear  soul  crosses  that  night  between  the  past 
and  the  future  ; but  those  about  her  simply  say 
"It  is  our  custom,”  and  that  is  what  nerves 
their  hands  and  hearts. 

And  what  is  her  future  ? It  all  depends  upon 
herself,  and  her  circumstances.  If  she  remains 
in  her  parents’  house,  her  lot  may  be  much  soft- 
ened, but  they  do  not  always  dare  to  defy  all  for 
her  sake.  If  she  is  independent,  with  some  dar- 
ing and  a fund  of  animal  spirits,  or  if  she  accepts 
her  fate  stolidly,  she  may  still  extract  a good 
deal  of  comfort  out  of  life.  Cruel  and  unkind 
relatives  have  it  in  their  power  to  heat  the  fur- 
nace seven  times  hotter  for  her.  Men  of  her 
own  household,  or  strangers  may  desecrate  her 
womanhood,  and  complete  her  ruin.  But  in  the 

case  of  the  high-spirited,  sensitive  girl  who  feels 
68 


¥ 


Enforced  Widowhood 

that  it  is  God’s  curse  upon  her,  we  can  only  say 
God  pity  her! 

We  know  one  such  case.  She  was  married  at 
eight  and  widowed  at  nine.  As  she  began  to 
comprehend  her  situation,  she  began  to  suffer. 
She  was  in  her  own  father’s  house,  and  treated 
kindly,  but  her  father  was  an  orthodox  priest  and 
she  was  not  allowed  to  deviate  from  a widow’s 
lot.  She  felt  she  was  cursed  of  God,  and  that 
was  to  her  sensitive  spirit  the  hardest  of  all. 
What  had  she  done  ? From  the  day  her  head 
was  shaven,  she  never  put  foot  outside  the  front 
door,  and  never  appeared  before  a stranger.  Her 
heart  and  spirit  were  broken,  and  she  is  now  fast 
sinking  in  consumption.  A few  more  months 
will  complete  the  sad  story;  and  when  she  is  laid 
in  the  grave  her  coarse  widow’s  garb  will  be  her 
only  burial  robe. 

We  know  another  young  girl  who  was  wid- 
owed at  ten.  She  did  not  know  her  husband 
was  so  ill,  and  he  died  while  she,  in  her  girlish 
glee,  was  taking  part  in  a neighbor’s  wed- 
ding. She  tells  how,  when  those  about  her 
heard  the  news,  they  were  in  a procession,  and 
how  her  heart  was  cut  with  their  contemptu- 
ous looks  and  manner.  She  could  not  compre- 
hend what  it  meant.  She  is  only  thirteen 
59 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

now,  but  her  spirit  is  breaking,  and  her  life  is 
blighted. 

The  alternative  to  the  Suttee  was  for  the  widow 
to  live,  but  to  never  mention  the  name  of  another 
man,  and  by  an  austere  life  of  piety,  she  might  be 
reunited  to  her  husband  after  death.  This  austere 
life  of  piety,  of  fasting  and  devotion,  no  doubt  also 
atoned  for  the  sin  in  a previous  birth  that  brought 
the  widowhood  upon  her,  and  she  would  also  es- 
cape by  it  the  same  awful  fate  in  a birth  to  come. 

Middle-aged  widows  are  much  better  able  to 
hold  their  own  and  to  meet  and  live  out  this  alter*- 
native  to  the  Suttee.  They  are  not  left  entirely 
desolate,  as  they  have  their  children  left  to  them, 
and  are  comforted  in  them,  and  are  often  loved, 
and  keep  their  old  place  of  authority  and  respect 
in  the  home.  Even  if  she  have  no  children,  her 
age,  in  addition  to  her  piety,  may  win  her  a place 
and  respect.  We  know  no  more  touching  sight 
on  our  streets  than  the  sad  face  of  some  elderly 
pious  widow  in  a group  of  happy,  well  dressed 
daughters-in-law,  sisters  and  nieces.  Her  face, 
often  wan  and  pinched  with  repeated  fasting,  her 
shaven  head,  and  her  bent  form  clad  in  coarse 
garments,  speak  volumes  as  to  her  attempt  to 
make  an  atonement  for  a widowhood  for  which 

she  was  never  to  blame. 

60 


Enforced  Widowhood 

The  custom  of  enforced  widowhood  is  con- 
fined to  the  Hindus,  and  that  chiefly  to  the  higher 
castes.  Many  of  the  lower  castes  allow  widows 
to  remarry,  though  some  of  the  low  castes  copy 
the  custom  even  to  the  head-shaving.  Among 
Mohammedans,  child  marriage  is  not  common: 
and  widows  remarry  as  they  do  in  any  land:  but 
they  heap  up  wrong  against  woman  in  their  cus- 
toms of  polygamy  and  divorce.  The  Koran  al- 
lows four  wives,  while  a man  may  divorce  his 
wife  at  pleasure,  on  any  pretext,  by  breaking  her 
marriage  necklace  and  bidding  her  depart. 

When  we  consult  the  Census  Report  of  1891, 
we  find  that  of  the  287,000,000  inhabitants  of 
India,  207,000,000  are  Hindus  and  57,000,000  are 
Mohammedans;  while  the  remaining  millions  are 
distributed  among  the  other  races  living  in  the 
land.  These  figures  will  help  us  to  proportion 
the  wrongs  of  women.  The  number  of  widows 
is  23,000,000,  and  of  this  number,  many  are  mere 
children  and  girls,  and  many  of  them  never 
knew  what  it  meant  to  be  a wife. 

Hon.  P.  Chentsalrao  says:  “I  confess  it  has 
always  been  a puzzle  to  me  how  a system  so  in- 
human and  cruel  has  found  existence  in  this 
country  among  a class  of  men  who  have  culti- 
vated their  feelings  of  kindness  to  such  a nicety 
61 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

that  they  dread  to  kill  an  ant,  or  cut  open  an 
egg.”  At  what  antipodes  is  the  cruel  treatment 
of  widows  and  the  panjarpole  ! (the  hospital  for 
aged  and  disabled  horses,  dogs,  bullocks,  mon- 
keys). 

Rao  Bahadur  C.  H.  Deshmukh  says:  “It  must 
not  be  forgotten  that  the  priests  derive  a very 
large  benefit  from  perpetual  widowhood.  A 
widow  thinks  that  her  misfortunes  arise  from 
her  not  having  attended  to  religious  duties  in 
former  lives,  and  therefore  she  must  devote  her 
time  and  wealth  to  pilgrimages,  and  so  on.  The 
wealth  of  most  widows  is  devoured  by  priests. 
It  is  the  widows,  rich  and  poor,  that  maintain 
the  priests  in  luxury.”  What  is  to  be  the  remedy  ? 

I.  We  would  have  remarriage  made  optional. 
Manu,  the  greatest  authority  next  to  the  Vedas, 
says  that  it  is  unlawful  for  a woman  to  mention 
the  name  of  another  man  after  her  husband’s 
death;  and  that  by  remarriage,  she  brings  dis- 
grace on  herself  in  this  world,  and  shall  be  ex- 
cluded from  heaven.  He  also  says:  “Nor  is  a 
second  husband  anywhere  prescribed  for  a virtu- 
ous woman.”  There  is  no  choice,  the  edict  from 
which  there  is  no  appeal  says,  “Once  a widow, 
always  a widow.” 

In  July,  1836,  Lord  Canning  legalized  the  re- 
62 


Enforced  Widowhood 

marriage  of  Hindu  widows.  It  is  called  the 
“Widow  Remarriage  Act  of  1856.”  But  he  did 
not  preserve  to  them  their  civil  rights.  By  re- 
marriage a widow  forfeits  her  life-interest  in  all 
property  left  her  by  her  husband,  both  movable 
and  immovable.  Provision  is  made  in  this  law 
that  if  a widow  depart  from  a life  of  rectitude 
she  does  not  forfeit  this  right.  But  if  she  re- 
marries it  is  forfeited,  “as  if,”  says  the  Act,  “she 
had  then  died.”  The  law  also  declares  that  the 
offspring  of  a widow  by  a second  marriage  shall 
not  be  held  to  be  illegitimate  or  incapable  of  in- 
heriting property. 

There  is  not  sufficient  explicitness  in  the  act 
about  the  widow’s  stridhan  (her  own  personal 
property).  To  avoid  giving  occasion  to  her  late 
husband’s  relatives  to  bring  against  her  at  the 
time  of,  or  after  marriage,  the  charge  of  theft, 
she  either  abandons  this  stridhan,  or  else  has  to 
go  before  a magistrate  and  make  a declaration  in 
respect  to  it. 

The  government  was  right  in  sanctioning  such 
marriages,  but  it  did  not  go  far  enough.  The 
code  says  to  the  widow,  “you  may  marry,”  but 
caste  says,  “you  shall  not;”  and  caste  triumphs. 
A widow  may  lead  an  immoral  life,  and  if  she 

gets  into  trouble,  caste  winks  while  she  gets  out 
63 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

of  it,  even  by  crime,  and  the  widow  is  retained 
in  caste.  Real  sin  has  not  unfitted  her  for  society, 
nor  has  the  crime  lowered  the  social  standing  of 
those  who  committed  it.  But  let  a virtuous 
widow  remarry;  a perfectly  lawful  step  in  the 
eyes  of  the  state;  and  caste  hounds  her  out  of 
society. 

The  loss  of  property  is  not  the  only  loss.  Both 
husband  and  wife  are  excommunicated,  and  per- 
haps their  nearest  relatives  with  them;  and  these 
relatives  can  only  be  reinstated  at  an  enormous 
cost.  Europeans  can  hardly  judge  what  this 
social  ostracism  is  that  separates  a man  from  all 
that  he  holds  dear.  No  one,  on  the  pain  of  ex- 
communication  themselves,  can  eat  with  them; 
no  one  is  willing  to  marry  their  children;  no  one, 
at  the  time  of  death,  is  willing  to  bury  them;  nor 
are  they  allowed  to  worship  in  the  public  temples. 
To  the  clannish  Hindu  this  is  an  awful  price  to 
pay.  Caste,  if  it  chooses,  can  keep  up  its  petty 
persecutions  and  make  a man’s  life  unendurable. 
Mr.  Malabari  in  speaking  of  this  says:  “ In  human 
custom,  caste  is  more  potent  in  its  secret  perse- 
cutions than  was  the  inquisition  of  Spain.” 

At  the  beginning  of  remarriages,  the  little  per- 
secutions were  even  sorer  than  now.  No  one 

was  allowed  to  trade  with  them,  no  barber  would 
64 


Enforced  Widowhood 

shave  the  man,  they  were  not  allowed  to  use  water 
out  of  the  public  wells.  Rao  Bahadur  was  a gov- 
ernment official,  being  a judge  of  the  Bombay 
Small-Cause  Court.  He  was  the  first  one  to 
marry  a widow  in  the  Purbhu  caste.  A short 
time  after  his  marriage,  the  corpses  of  both  hus- 
band and  wife  were  found  floating  in  a well. 
None  could  tell  whether  they  had  committed 
suicide,  or  whether  it  was  the  work  of  villainy. 
So  deep  was  the  feeling  of  bitterness,  and  the 
sense  of  shame  and  disgrace,  against  widow  re- 
marriage, and  against  the  parties  who  broke  the 
old  custom,  that  the  latter  was  not  improbable. 

Ramabai  tells  of  a high  caste  man  in  Cutch 
who,  feeling  unable  to  endure  the  persecutions 
that  followed  his  marriage  with  a widow,  com- 
mitted suicide.  At  present  the  subject  is  more 
familiar  to  all  classes,  and  even  in  villages,  one 
can  express  his  sympathy  with  the  subject  of  re- 
marriage without  rebuke.  But  the  lot  of  those 
who  do  remarry  is  still  sore  enough,  and  the 
penalties  of  excommunication  can  never  be  lightly 
despised. 

Madhowdas  Ragnathdas,  the  first  Guzerati 
Hindu  to  marry  a widow,  says  his  experience 
has  taught  him  that  “the  Widow  Remarriage 

Act  of  1856  is  nothing  more  than  a pronounce- 
65 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

ment  of  pious  intentions.  For  all  practical  pur- 
poses it  has  proved  a dead  letter,  and  will  remain 
so  unless  the  legislature  will  introduce  into  it 
special  clauses  for  the  protection  of  the  parties  to 
a widow  remarriage  from  caste  persecutions. 
The  unfortunate  couple  becomes,  under  existing 
circumstances,  not  only  the  victim  of  a formal 
excommunication  by  caste,  but  also  of  dark  de- 
signs and  secret  plottings,  and  it  is  impossible  to 
bring  the  authors  of  them  to  book.”  In  proof, 
one  has  only  to  read  his  interesting  book,  “The 
Story  of  a Widow  Remarriage,”  and  see  how,  for 
eighteen  years,  influential  castemen  never  forgave 
him  but  sought  to  injure  him  on  every  occasion. 

Once,  after  the  resignation  of  Sir  Richard 
Temple  as  Governor  of  Bombay,  the  Acting 
Governor,  Hon.  Mr.  Ashburner,  held  two  even- 
ing parties  at  government  house  to  which  he  and 
his  wife  were  invited.  This  was  too  much  for 
some  of  his  fellow-castemen  who  were  deter- 
mined to  stop  future  invitations,  and  they  even 
to  the  length  of  having  one  gentleman  wait  on 
Mr.  Ashburner  and  tell  him  that  many  respecta- 
ble gentlemen  had  been  displeased  with  the 
presence  of  excommunicated  persons  at  govern- 
ment house  parties.  The  latter  agreed  that  he 

would  make  inquiries  and  then  do  what  he 
66 


Enforced  Widowhood 

thought  proper.  Friends  of  Mr.  Madhowdas 
took  up  the  matter,  and  when  Mr.  Ashburner 
understood  the  case,  he  said  he  saw  no  reason 
whatever  to  remove  his  name  from  the  list  of 
guests  of  the  government  house. 

Mr.  Justice  Rande  estimates  the  number  of 
widow  remarriages  to  be  about  five  hundred; 
and  in  his  address  before  the  Eleventh  Indian 
Social  Congress  which  was  held  last  year  at 
Amraoti,  Berar  states  that  in  all  India  last  year 
there  were  twenty-five  widow  remarriages  cele- 
brated. In  the  Punjab  there  were  ten;  in  Bom- 
bay, six;  in  the  Central  Provinces,  four;  in  Ma- 
dras, three;  and  in  the  Northwest  Provinces  and 
Bengal,  one  each.  He  said  the  paucity  of  the 
total  number  was  partly  due  to  the  calamities — 
plague  and  famine — of  the  year,  and  partly  to 
the  prohibition  of  all  marriages  on  account  of  the 
year  being  a Sinhast  year.  And  may  we  add 
that  it  may  be  in  part  due  to  the  fact  that  at  pres- 
ent, there  is  a decided  retrograde  movement  on 
the  subject  of  reform  in  India,  and  a disposition 
to  return  to  the  old  ways.  But  we  are  glad  to 
say  that  Bombay  presidency  is  said  to  average 
six  remarriages  a year. 

The  congress  also  passed  a resolution  which  is 

in  itself  a running  commentary  on  the  defective 
67 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

working  of  the  act  of  1856.  The  resolution  was 
in  substance  that  a widow  on  remarriage  be  al- 
lowed civil  rights  in  regard  to  her  late  husband’s 
property  that  had  been  left  her;  that  there  be  a 
better  understanding  as  to  her  rights  in  respect 
to  her  stridhan  or  personal  property;  that  the 
pair  be  allowed  religious  liberty  to  Worship  in 
the  public  temples;  and  lastly,  a protest  against 
the  disfigurement  of  widows  by  head  shaving. 

We  devoutly  wish  that  the  work  of  the  Social 
Congress  did  not  end  in  resolutions.  Perhaps  no 
one  says  harder  things  of  the  inconsistencies  of 
the  congressu'ala,  than  some  of  their  own  num- 
ber. Says  an  editor  in  a recent  issue;  “ Educated 
India  at  any  rate  was  expected  to  come  to  the 
rescue,  and  give  a new  direction  to  the  trend  of 
public  opinion;  but  the  hope  has  never  been 
realized.  Speaking  from  congress  platforms  and 
loudly  demanding  political  rights  and  privileges 
from  government,  might  certainly  direct  their  at- 
tention with  great  effect  to  social  matters.” 

But  what  of  the  reformers  whose  practice  does 
not  tally  with  their  preaching?  Ramabai  says: 
“I  have  known  men  of  great  learning  and  high 
reputation  who  took  oaths  to  the  effect  that  if 
they  were  to  become  widowers  and  wished  to 
remarry  again,  that  they  would  not  marry  a child 
68 


PORTRAIT  OF  RAMAHAI  GROUP  OF  CHILD  WIDOWS 


4 


Enforced  Widowhood 

but  would  marry  a widow.  But  no  sooner  had 
their  first  wives  died,  than  they  forgot  all  about 
the  oaths  and  married  little  girls.  Society  threat- 
ens them  with  excommunication,  their  friends 
and  relatives  entreat  them  with  tears,  others  offer 
money  and  maids  if  they  will  only  give  up  the 
idea  of  marrying  a widow.  Few  have  been  able 
to  resist  all  this.” 

A better  authority  than  Mr.  Madhowdas  Rag- 
nathdas  could  not  be  found  on  this  side  of  Indian 
life,  for  he  not  only  married  a widow  himself, 
but  openly  identified  himself  with  the  cause. 
His  home  became  an  asylum  for  those  who 
wished  to  remarry;  and  he  assisted  them  not 
only  with  his  sympathy  but  with  his  substance. 
He  says  there  have  been  widow  remarriages  in 
this  province  both  among  Gujerati  and  Marathi 
Hindus,  hut  in  almost  all  cases  the  bridegrooms 
came  from  the  uneducated  classes.  The  edu- 
cated have  not  led  the  way." 

We  would  not  be  unfair.  The  verbal  agitation 
of  the  subject  has  no  doubt  done  much  to  clear 
the  atmosphere,  but  how  much  greater  a power 
would  the  agitation  have  been  had  it  been  backed 
by  the  personal  action  of  the  reformers.  The 
back  of  the  difficulty  might  have  been  broken  by 
this  time. 


69 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

In  the  world  money  is  power.  This  thought 
is  borne  out  by  the  names  of  the  coins  in  other 
lands.  We  have  the  British  “sovereign,”  the 
French  “ napoleon,”  and  the  American  “almighty 
dollar;  ” and  so  in  India  the  silver  rupee  can  atone 
for  much.  Widow  remarriage  is  not  an  inviting 
prospect  for  a poor  man.  But  the  wealthy  and 
influential  have  been  better  able  to  bear  the  diffi- 
culties and  live  them  down.  Money  can  get 
husbands  and  little  wives  for  the  children  of  out- 
casted  parents;  and  money  can  alleviate  the  com- 
mon lot;  though  we  have  heard  of  men  who 
have  gone  back  to  their  villages  and,  after  four 
or  five  years,  when  their  anger  had  cooled  off, 
they  were  reinstated  in  caste  without  a word. 

What  we  ask  is,  that  government,  having 
made  it  lawful  for  a widow  to  remarry,  should 
still  feel  she  is  a government  ward  and  protect 
her  from  the  persecutions  of  caste.  Caste  should 
not  be  allowed  to  defy  law  with  such  a high 
hand  as  to  deter  one  of  its  members  from  acting 
according  to  law.  A man  may  refuse  to  eat 
with  another  if  he  likes,  or  to  marry  his  children, 
or  refuse  to  associate  with  him;  but  he  should 
have  no  power  to  prevent  others  doing  so  if  they 
so  choose,  nor  power  to  persecute  or  hinder  or 

injure  the  man  or  such  of  his  friends  as  may 
70 


Enforced  Widowhood 

choose  to  support  his  cause.  We  feel  that  it  is 
the  duty  of  government  to  protect  the  rights  of 
individual  members  of  society,  as  is  done  in  other 
lands. 

To  men  whose  only  crime  is  that  they  followed 
their  own  convictions  of  right,  convictions  which 
the  law  has  sanctioned,  there  should  be  some 
means  of  redress.  This  is  not  a matter  of  reli- 
gion. It  is  downright  iniquity  to  allow  any  class 
of  people  in  these  enlightened  days  to  deprive 
their  fellow-men  of  all  social  and  religious  liberty. 
Had  America  handed  back  the  Philippine  Islands 
to  Spain,  it  would  have  been  on  the  condition 
that,  throughout  the  islands,  there  should  be  re- 
ligious liberty.  This  would  have  been  one  of  the 
very  first  conditions.  If  the  facts  were  known, 
as  they  really  are,  of  the  religious  and  social  tyr- 
anny existing  among  the  Hindus  under  English 
rule,  there  would  be  much  greater  indignation 
than  there  is.  Reform  will  never  come  from 
within.  Among  the  Hindus  and  Mohammedans 
the  A B C of  religious  and  social  liberty  is  un- 
known. 

2.  Head  shaving  is  a cruel  wrong.  Men  have 
no  right  to  disfigure  a woman  without  her  wish 
and  consent,  simply  because  she  has  borne  a 

great  sorrow  and  lost  her  natural  protector.  It 
71 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

must  be  done  if  the  wife  is  fifteen  years  or  more 
of  age,  before  the  body  of  the  husband  can  be 
carried  to  the  burning-ground.  A priest  is  un- 
willing to  burn  the  body  without  its  having  been 
done.  The  hair  is  burned  with  the  dead  body. 
It  is  popularly  believed  that  if  the  woman  keeps 
her  hair  on  her  head,  that  it  binds  her  husband’s 
soul  in  hell.  Others  say  that  it  is  done  to  make 
her  less  attractive  to  other  men.  An  increasing 
number  of  widows  refuse  to  submit  to  it,  but  it 
is  considered  a shameless  and  disgraceful  thing 
to  do.  Perhaps  none  are  harder  upon  young 
widows  than  old  shaven  widows,  although  they 
have  suffered  themselves. 

After  the  first  shaving  it  is  periodically  done. 
Among  the  Deccan  Brahmans  it  is  done  every 
two  weeks.  If  the  widow  be  a mere  child  she 
escapes  till  she  is  fifteen  or  sixteen,  and  then  the 
hour  can  no  longer  be  evaded.  As  an  illustration 
of  how  deep-rooted  this  custom  is,  we  knew  of 
an  old  couple,  of  sixty  and  seventy  years  of  age, 
who  were  both  smitten  with  the  plague  last  year. 
The  wife  survived  the  husband  but  four  hours, 
yet  when  he  died,  iron  custom  laid  its  hand  upon 
the  aged  wife,  though  she  was  uncpnscious  and 
dying,  and  shaved  her  head! 

A woman’s  hair  is  her  covering  and  crown  of 

72 


Enforced  Widowhood 

glory,  and  it  is  a cruel  indignity  to  deprive  her  of 
it.  Government  must  see  that  the  custom  is  not 
enforced  if  the  widow  is  unwilling:  that  it  should 
at  least  be  optional. 

3.  We  protest  against  the  social  position  given 
to  widows — the  ban  that  is  put  upon  them  for 
widowhood.  If  a plain  dress  is  considered  be- 
coming to  a woman  as  a widow,  why  should  it 
be  of  a coarser  texture  than  that  of  her  sisters  ? 
Why  must  she  fast  and  other  women  not  ? Why 
should  she  not  share  freely  in  the  comforts  and 
pleasures  of  the  family  ? Why  should  she  not 
be  allowed  a part  in  the  religious  portion  of  any 
family  festivity  ? Why  should  widows  be  made 
to  eat  by  themselves  at  weddings  and  other 
feasts  ? Why  must  they  shrink  guiltily  back  as 
they  cross  some  one’s  path,  for  fear  of  being  a 
bad  omen  to  him  ? Why  should  the  widow  be 
so  often  an  object  of  suspicion  and  solicitude  for 
fear  she  bring  disgrace  upon  the  family  ? Why 
should  men  treat  her  as  they  dare  treat  no  mar- 
ried woman  ? Would  a man  be  willing  to  live 
under  such  a ban  ? Never!  Is  it  strange  then  if 
many  widows  lose  heart  and  ambition;  or  that 
this  very  ban  increases  temptation  for  them  ? 
They  lose  self-respect,  and  men  more  oft  respect 

them  less  than  other  women. 

73 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

Says  Mr.  Madhowdas:  “It  is  contended  that 
‘it  tends  to  the  spiritual  exaltation  of  the  widow. 
Deprived  of  her  lord,  she  renounces  the  fleeting 
joys  of  the  world,  and  consecrates  her  life  to 
works  of  piety  and  benevolence.  She  is  a sister 
of  charity  and  of  mercy  in  her  house  and  on  the 
street.  She  is  by  the  bedside  of  the  sick;  she 
comforts  the  weary  and  miserable;  she  has  a 
word  of  advice  for  all;  she  is  the  centre  from 
which  radiates  a divine  light.  Her  heart  is  full 
of  happiness  and  she  looks  forward  with  eager- 
ness to  the  day  when  her  life  of  devotion  and 
unselfishness  will  be  ended  and  she  may  rejoin 
her  husband.’  . . . There  may  be  a widow 

here  and  there,  one  in  ten  thousand,  whose  beau- 
tiful life  approaches  this  ideal.  The  unnatural 
restraint  put  upon  them  cannot  make  angels  of 
them.  There  is  nothing  to  exalt  and  uplift  them: 
there  is  much  to  debase  them.  There  are  un- 
doubtedly many  who  are  leading  exemplary 
lives;  but  they  are  good  and  pious,  not  because 
of  the  custom,  but  in  spite  of  it.  I do  not  sug- 
gest for  a moment  that  all  young  widows  go 
wrong,  but  1 do  say  that  the  prohibition  is  calcu- 
lated to  lead  them  wrong,  and  not  to  their  spirit- 
ual exaltation,  as  has  been  vainly  supposed.” 

If  it  is  true  that  this  treatment  of  the  widow  is 
74 


Enforced  Widowhood 

for  her  spiritual  exaltation,  then  why  must  the 
ban  follow  her  even  after  death;  for  if  a widow 
dies  without  children,  she  is  not  allowed  a reli- 
gious ceremony  at  her  funeral! 

When  we  remember  the  words  quoted  at  the 
beginning  of  this  subject,  we  do  not  hesitate  to 
say  that  we  believe  that  India  is  suffering  to-day 
in  part  for  her  treatment  of  the  widow. 


75 


V 


THE  ZENANA 

As  we  alighted  from  the  Bombay  mail  one 
morning  to  the  platform  of  the  station  of  one  of 
our  northern  cities,  we  saw  a Mohammedan  gen- 
tleman hurrying  about  the  platform.  Then  there 
appeared  four  men  bearing  a palanquin,  who, 
under  his  direction,  placed  it  opposite  the  door 
of  a second-class  carriage  that  had  its  windows 
all  closed.  There  was  a good  deal  of  bustle,  and 
finally  servants  held  up  a cloth  on  each  side  of 
the  carriage  door,  thus  making  a covered  pass- 
ageway from  the  carriage  to  the  palanquin. 
What  was  it,  that  had  arrived  in  the  train  for 
this  man  that  he  so  zealously  shielded  from  the 
gaze  of  the  people  crowded  on  the  platform  ? 
Had  some  one  sent  him  a Mysore  tiger,  and  was 
he  afraid  it  would  get  away  ? We  carefully 
watched  the  proceedings,  and  lo!  beneath  the 
cloth,  stepping  out  of  the  carriage,  we  beheld 
the  feet — not  of  a tiger,  but  of  a woman.  In  a 
moment  the  servants  dropped  the  cloth,  and  the 
bearers  picked  up  the  palanquin  on  their  shoul- 
ders and  walked  off.  Its  doors  were  closed,  and 
76 


The  Zenana 


we  saw  no  one  but  the  gentleman  and  the  serv- 
ants that  followed  it.  He  had  probably  come  to 
meet  his  wife,  and  their  greeting  could  remain 
until  their  home  was  reached.  She,  in  her  seclu- 
sion, is  what  is  popularly  called  in  India  a Zenana 
or  Purdah  lady. 

“The  veil,  as  instituted  by  Mohammed  and 
prescribed  in  the  Koran  is,”  says  Sir  William 
Muir,  “obligatory  on  all  who  acknowledge  the 
authority  of  the  book.  Taken  in  conjunction 
with  the  other  restrictions  there  imposed  on 
domestic  life,  it  has  led  to  the  institution  of  the 
Harem  and  Zenana — that  is,  the  private  portion 
of  the  home  in  which  women  are,  with  more  or 
less  stringency  in  various  lands,  secluded  from 
the  outer  world.” 

The  harem  is  an  Arabic  term  meaning  any- 
thing forbidden  or  not  to  be  touched.  And  as 
we  become  more  fully  acquainted  with  the  sys- 
tem, we  find  how  fitting  the  name  is.  The  se- 
clusion of  women  has  existed  among  other  peo- 
ples, “ but  it  is  among  the  modern  Mohammedan 
peoples  that  it  has  attained  its  most  perfect  de- 
velopment; and  the  harems  of  the  Sultan  of  Tur- 
key and  the  Shah  of  Persia,  may  be  taken  as  the 
most  elaborate  and  best  known  specimens  of  the 

type;  ” and  to  these  we  might  add  the  Zenanas 
77 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

of  the  native  rulers  of  Mohammedan  states  in 
India. 

The  word  Zenana,  confined  in  its  use  to  India, 
is  of  Persian  origin.  Zan  is  the  word  for  women 
and  Zenana  means  pertaining  to  women.  The 
word  Zenana,  as  popularly  used,  means  the 
apartments  devoted  exclusively  for  the  women 
of  the  household  of  an  Indian  gentleman.  When 
we  use  the  term  “ Zenana  woman,”  we  mean 
one  who  lives  in  seclusion.  The  word  purdah 
means  a veil,  and  a “purdah  lady”  is  a term 
used  in  the  same  sense. 

The  veil  or  purdah  as  instituted  by  Moham- 
med, has  the  following  history.  Mohammed 
was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  to  a 
widow  of  forty  by  the  name  of  Khadija.  But  in 
spite  of  the  disparity  of  years,  it  was  a happy 
union.  She  believed  in  him,  in  his  visions  and 
in  his  call;  and  was  a great  source  of  strength 
and  encouragement  to  him.  Two  months  after 
her  death  he  married  Sauda,  another  widow,  and 
was  betrothed  to  Ayesha  a little  girl  of  six  or 
seven  who,  till  his  death,  remained  his  favorite 
and  most  beloved  wife. 

It  was  after  his  flight  to  Medina,  that  his  do- 
mestic life,  as  well  as  his  general  character, 

underwent  so  great  a change.  He  had  married 
78 


The  Zenana 


five  wives  since  the  death  of  Khadija.  Muir 
says:  “He  was  now  going  on  to  threescore 
years:  but  the  weakness  for  the  sex  only  seemed 
to  grow  with  his  years,  and  the  attractions  of  his 
increasing  harem  were  insufficient  to  prevent  his 
passion  from  wandering  beyond  its  ample  limits. 
Happening  one  day  to  visit  the  dwelling  of  his 
adopted  son,  Zeid,  he  found  him  absent.  As  he 
knocked,  Zeinab,  wife  of  Zeid,  started  up  to 
array  herself  decently  for  the  prophet’s  reception. 
But  her  good  looks  had  already,  through  the 
half-open  door,  unveiled  themselves  too  freely 
before  his  admiring  gaze,  and  Mohammed,  smitten 
by  the  sight,  exclaimed:  ‘Gracious  Lord!  Good 
heavens!  How  thou  dost  turn  the  hearts  of 
men!  ’ 

“Zeinab  overheard  the  prophet’s  words,  and 
proud  of  her  conquest,  told  her  husband.  He 
went  at  once  to  Mohammed,  and  offered  to  di- 
vorce his  wife  for  him.  ‘ Keep  thy  wife  to  thy- 
self,’ he  answered,  ‘and  fear  God.’  But  the 
words  fell  from  unwilling  lips.  Zeid  was  ten 
years  younger  than  Mohammed,  and  he  was 
short  and  ill-favored;  and  now  that  his  wife 
seemed  to  court  so  distinguished  an  alliance,  he 
probably  did  not  care  to  keep  her  any  longer  as 
his  wife,  so  he  formally  divorced  her.  The 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

prophet  hesitated.  Zeid  was  his  adopted  son, 
and  to  marry  the  divorced  wife  of  an  adopted  son 
was  unheard  of  in  Arabia  and  would  create  a 
scandal.  But  the  flame  would  not  be  stifled. 
And  so,  casting  his  scruples  to  the  winds,  he  re- 
solved to  have  her.  The  prophetic  ecstasy 
seemed  to  come  upon  him.  As  he  recovered  he 
said,  ‘Who  will  run  and  tell  Zeinab  that  the 
Lord  hath  joined  her  to  me  in  marriage?’  and 
this  was  done  without  delay.” 

The  marriage  caused  no  small  obloquy;  and, 
to  save  his  reputation,  Mohammed  had  recourse 
to  revelation.  The  Almighty  sanctioned  it,  and 
the  scandal  was  removed  by  the  revelation,  and 
Zeid  was  no  longer  called  the  “son  of  Moham- 
med,” as  the  revelation  had  included  the  admoni- 
tion that  adopted  sons  were  to  go  by  the  names 
of  their  natural  fathers. 

“About  this  time,”  says  M-utf,  “the  veil  was 
established  for  the  female  sex.”  “The  reason 
for  its  imposition  was  said  to  be  that  Moslem 
women  were  exposed  to  rude  remarks  from  men 
of  the  baser  sort  as  they  walked  about.  But  the 
prophet's  own  recent  experience  in  the  unwilling 
sight  of  Zeinab's  charms  was  perhaps  a stronger 
reason."  He  then  promulgated  the  following 
command; 


80 


The  Zenana 


“ Speak  unto  women  that  they  restrain  their  eyes  and  pre- 
serve their  modesty,  and  display  not  their  ornaments,  excepting 
that  which  cannot  be  hid.  And  let  them  cast  their  veils  over 
their  bosoms  and  not  show  their  ornaments  saving  to  their  hus- 
bands, their  fathers,  their  sons,  nephews,  slaves  and  children.” 

Muir  adds:  “Out  of  this  command  of  the 
Koran  have  grown  the  stringent  usages  of  the 
Harem  and  Zenana,  which,  with  more  or  less  se- 
clusion, prevail  throughout  the  Moslem  world. 
However  degrading  and  barbarous  these  usages 
appear,  yet,  with  its  loose  code  of  polygamy  and 
divorce,  some  restraints  of  the  kind  seem  almost 
indispensable  in  Islam,  if  only  for  the  maintenance 
of  decency  and  social  order.”) 

Mohammed  was  even  severer  with  his  own 
wives.  “No  one,  unless  bidden,  was  to  enter 
their  apartments;  they  were  not  to  be  spoken  to 
but  from  behind  a curtain;  and,  to  slake  the  last 
embers  of  jealousy,  a divine  interdict  was  de- 
clared against  their  ever  marrying  again.” 
According  to  Muir,  Mohammed  had  eleven 
wives,  including  two  slave  girls.  The  number 
seems  uncertain.  Abulfeda  limits  it  to  fifteen, 
while  other  Arabian  historians  make  it  as  many 
as  twenty-five.  He  limited  his  followers,  how- 
ever, to  four  wives  each;  but  on  account  of  the 
facility  of  divorce  among  them,  though  a man 

may  never  have  more  than  four  wives  at  one 
81 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

time,  yet  he  may  be  married  many  times.  A 
traveller  once  met  an  Arab,  not  an  old  man 
either,  who  had  been  married  fifty  times.  We 
knew  of  a family  where  the  first  and  second 
wives  were  permanent,  but  the  changes  kept 
taking  place  in  Nos.  3 and  4. 

When  the  Mohammedans  invaded  India,  they 
brought  the  custom  of  the  Zenana  with  them. 
They  often  forcibly  added  a beautiful  Hindu 
woman  to  their  households,  even  though  she  had 
a husband.  Hence,  to  protect  themselves  from 
their  unscrupulous  Mohammedan  neighbors,  the 
Hindus  began  to  keep  their  women  indoors,  and 
to  veil  them  carefully.  Miss  Thoburn  says: 
“ Oriental  women  have  always  lived  more  or 
less  in  the  background,  but  Mohammed  shut 
them  within  four  walls  and  turned  the  key.” 
The  custom  prevails  among  Mohammedans 
wherever  they  are  found  in  India,  except  the 
very  poor  whose  wives  are  forced  to  labor  as 
well  as  the  husbands;  and  they  often  have  only 
one  room  for  all  the  family  to  live  in.  But,  here 
and  there,  you  find  a poor  man  who  even  in  his 
poverty  clings  with  great  pride  to  the  system  as 
tenaciously  as  his  wealthier  neighbors. 

Among  the  Hindus  the  system  prevails  largely 

in  Bengal,  the  North,  and  the  Northwest;  es- 
82 


The  Zenana 


pecially  where  Mohammedanism  is  the  strongest, 
and  in  the  old  Mohammedan  capitals,  and  in  the 
Mohammedan  native  states.  In  the  Western 
and  Southern  portions  of  India,  it  only  prevails 
to  a certain  extent  among  the  better  classes. 
With  the  exceptions  of  the  royal  families  in  the 
Marathi  native  states,  the  Zenana  does  not  exist 
among  the  Marathi  people.  That  no  doubt  ac- 
counts for  the  freedom  of  the  women  in  the  city 
of  Bombay.  A lady  who  lived  in  North  India 
for  several  years,  told  us  that  she  had  seen  more 
women  on  the  streets  in  Bombay  in  one  day  than 
she  had  seen  during  all  her  stay  in  the  North. 1 
The  thing  that  struck  us  most  on  our  first  visit  to 
the  North  was  the  small  number  of  women  we 
met  on  the  streets. 

While  the  Zenana  system  has  not  been  adopted 
by  the  lower  castes  in  the  North,  and  not  gener- 
ally adopted  by  the  Hindus  of  the  West  and 
South,  yet  it  has  affected  public  opinion  and 
thereby  restricted  the  liberty  of  women  to  a great 
extent  throughout  the  country;  and  when  you 
speak  of  the  women  of  these  sections  being  free, 
it  must  be  remembered  there  are  many  limitations 
to  their  freedom. 

We  have  no  idea  of  the  number  of  women 

who  thus  live  in  seclusion,  but  it  is,  we  are  glad 
83 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

to  say,  a small  proportion  of  the  whole  number 
of  more  than  140,000,000  of  women  in  India. 
But  this  fact  does  not  lessen  the  wrong  of  the 
institution. 

1.  It  deprives  them  of  outdoor  liberty  and  rec- 
reation, and  must  affect  not  only  their  own 
health,  but  that  of  their  children.  It  is  asserted 
that  a large  percentage  of  Zenana  women  die  of 
consumption.  Where  the  Zenana  is  very  strictly 
kept,  as  at  Hyderabad,  the  women  and  their 
young  slave-attendants  are  practically  prisoners, 
servants  guard  the  front  entrances  to  their  apart- 
ments, and  if  the  ladies  make  a call,  or  take  a 
journey,  the  greatest  precaution  is  taken  to  secure 
their  seclusion.  In  Lucknow  we  have  seen 
ladies  borne  past  in  closed  palanquins  over  which 
was  spread  a covering  of  cloth.  How  stifling  it 
must  have  been! 

A Mohammedan  gentleman  in  Bombay,  ac- 
customed to  some  laxity  in  his  own  household, 
told  us  that  when  he  was  in  Northern  India,  he 
saw,  on  one  occasion,  a lady  put  in  a closed  rail- 
way carriage  and  then  over  the  whole  carriage 
was  thrown  a tent.  “That,”  he  added,  “was 
a little  too  much  Zenana  for  me.”  A Hindu 
gentleman  who  has  lived  in  Hyderabad  for  many 

years,  told  us  that  when  a wealthy  Zenana  lady 
84 


The  Zenana 


wished  to  make  a call,  the  street  was  cleared  for 
her,  and  she  was  conveyed  to  her  destination  in  a 
palanquin  shielded  by  a cloth  on  both  sides.  He 
also  said  that  once  he  had  some  workmen  repair- 
ing a house,  and  as  they  worked  on  one  high 
corner,  they  were  discovered  by  the  occupants 
of  the  Zenana  below  in  the  next  house.  The 
husband  rushed  out  with  a gun  and  would  have 
fired,  had  not  our  friend  interfered.  They  were 
suspected  of  climbing  to  that  point  so  as  to  look 
into  the  Zenana. 

2.  It  makes  a woman  constantly  conscious  of 
her  sex.  All  this  is  done  to  shield  her  from  the 
gaze  of  man.  In  ordinary  Zenanas,  if  a water- 
carrier  or  other  workman  has  to  come  into  the 
Zenana  court,  warning  is  given  so  that  the  lady 
can  flee  to  her  room,  or  two  servants  hold  up  a 
cloth  before  her  and  screen  her  till  the  man  passes 
out.  The  Koran,  as  quoted  above,  allows  her  to 
see  her  father,  brothers  and  nephews  in  addition 
to  her  husband,  and,  as  one  lady  added  to  us, 
“and  an  uncle  if  he  is  older  than  our  father.” 
But  in  very  strict  Zenanas  this  liberty,  even,  is 
much  limited. 

We  know  of  a Mohammedan  lady  whose  hus- 
band was  absent.  Through  a lattice  or  window, 

she  saw  her  little  boy,  an  only  child  we  think,  in 
85 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

physical  danger.  Mother-love  forgot  every  ban 
and  she  rushed  into  the  street  to  rescue  him.  On 
her  husband’s  return  that  evening,  he  was  told 
of  it  and  expressed  no  displeasure  but  spoke  to 
her  "words  of  honey.”  But  she  was  never  seen 
after  that  night.  Another  husband,  of  whom 
we  know,  killed  his  wife  because  a man  by  the 
merest  accident  saw  her  back  through  an  open 
door,  though  she  was  unconscious  of  it.  A lady 
described  to  us  a pilgrimage  to  Mecca.  She  was 
confined  to  her  cabin  all  through  the  voyage, 
while  her  husband  enjoyed  the  ocean  breezes 
from  the  deck  and  had  the  monotony  of  the  voyage 
broken  by  whatever  there  was  to  see. 

3.  The  confinement  limits  their  experience  of 
life  to  a very  small  horizon  and  keeps  them  chil- 
dren. If  they  cannot  read,  their  knowledge  of  the 
outside  world  depends  on  hearsay.  If  a husband 
is  so  minded,  he  can  greatly  misrepresent  events 
and  the  world  to  her.  We  recently  heard  of  the 
statement  made  in  a paper  conducted  in  the  in- 
terests of  the  Zenana,  that  the  Western  world 
was  beginning  to  adopt  the  system. 

4.  The  segregation  of  the  sexes  is  a great  evil. 
It  was  never  the  Creator’s  plan,  but,  guaging 
human  nature,  it  was  man’s  plan  to  save  the  purity 

of  his  wives  and  the  sanctity  of  his  home.  But 
86 


The  Zenana 


like  all  man’s  remedies  for  man,  it  is  a failure. 
An  author  quoted  in  Dr.  Murdoch’s  book  says: 
“Instead  of  promoting  virtue,  it  has  tended  to 
render  the  iihagination  prurient.”  Dr.  Fallon 
scandalized  the  Anglo-Indian  press  with  the  quo- 
tations and  proverbs  used  in  his  Hindustani-Eng- 
lish  Dictionary,  but  in  defence  he  said:  “There 

is  much  to  be  learned  from  many  an  otherwise 
objectionable  quotation,  if  one  is  willing  to  learn. 
It  is  of  the  greatest  importance,  for  instance,  to 
know  to  what  depths  human  nature  can  sink  in 
the  vitiated  atmosphere  of  enforced  female  se- 
clusion, as  contrasted  with  the  purity  to  which 
men  and  women  rise  as  social  restraints  are  with- 
drawn, and  they  are  permitted  to  breathe  the 
pure  air  of  liberty  and  indulge  in  free  social  in- 
tercourse.” 

Miss  Hewlett  says:  “The  idea  that  because  a 
woman  is  kept  in  seclusion  she  is  more  modest 
or  womanly,  is  a sentiment  without  foundation 
in  fact,  as  frequently  where  purdah  is  more 
strictly  observed,  the  greatest  impropriety  pre- 
vails behind  the  scenes.”  “God  meant  the 
home,”  says  Murdoch,  “to  be  a place  of  inter- 
course, where  husbands  and  wives,  brothers  and 
sisters,  male  and  female  relatives  and  friends, 

gather  together  round  the  same  hearth  in  loving 
87 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

confidence  and  mutual  dependence.”  It  is  the 
only  safeguard  of  domestic  happiness,  and  even 
of  national  blessing.  Says  Muir:  “It  is  impos- 
sible for  a people  who,  contrary  to  nature,  ex- 
clude from  their  outer  life  the  whole  female  sex, 
materially  to  rise  in  the  scale  of  civilization. 
Men  suffer  from  the  loss  of  the  refining  influence 
of  woman’s  society.  In  such  society  they  cease 
to  talk  of  what  they  do  not  want  their  wives  and 
daughters  to  know  and  hear.  We  have  known 
the  basest  man  to  check  his  oath  or  coarse  jest, 
and  drop  into  a reverential,  confused  silence  in 
the  presence  of  a refined  woman.  Let  the  sexes 
intermingle,  and  many  men  will  become  what 
they  want  their  women  to  be.” 

A “ Kashmiri  Pandit,”  after  residing  some  time 
in  England,  thus  gives  his  experience  in  the 
Indian  Magazine: 

“To  live  for  three  or  four  years  in  a society  in 
which  men  and  women  meet,  not  as  masters  and 
slaves,  but  as  friends  and  companions — in  which 
feminine  culture  adds  grace  and  beauty  to  the 
lives  of  men;  to  live  in  a society  in  which  the 
prosaic  hours  of  hard  work  are  relieved  by  the 
companionship  of  a sweet  and  educated  wife, 
sister,  or  mother,  is  the  most  necessary  discipline 

required  by  our  Indian  youths,  in  order  that  they 
88 


The  Zenana 


may  be  able  to  shake  off  their  old  notions  and  to 
look  upon  an  accomplished  womanhood  as  the 
salt  of  human  society  which  preserves  it  from 
moral  decay.  There  is  a very  pernicious  notion 
prevalent  in  India,  that  a free  intercourse  between 
the  sexes  leads  to  immorality.  1 confess  that, 
before  I came  to  England,  I believed  there  was 
some  truth  in  this  notion.  But  now  1 believe  no 
such  thing.  My  own  impression  is,  that  the 
chief  safety-valve  of  public  and  private  morality 
is  the  free  intercourse  between  the  sexes.”  This 
is  the  sore  need  of  India,  and  we  hope  the  pur- 
dah will  soon  be  rent  in  twain,  and  woman  be 
emancipated. 

It  is  often  suggested  to  us  that  the  different 
denominations  among  Christians  must  be  a great 
hinderance  and  stumbling-block  in  India.  Some 
of  our  Indian  contemporaries  have  learned  this 
objection,  and  occasionally  assail  the  missionaries 
and  the  cause  of  Christ  with  it,  as  if  sects  were 
unknown  in  India  and  unity  of  mind  was  a char- 
acteristic of  the  country.  The  difficulty  should 
not  be  an  incomprehensible  one  to  an  Indian  mind. 
India  is  full  of  sects,  so  that  in  writing  an  article 
for  the  press,  it  is  difficult  to  make  a statement 
that  covers  all  India,  or  even  one  of  its  divisions. 

The  Hindus  are  divided  into  innumerable  sects 
89 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

that  vary  from  one  another  in  customs  and  even 
in  dress.  The  Braham  community  consists  of 
divisions  and  subdivisions  that  will  not  inter- 
marry or  eat  together.  This  is  also  true  of  the 
Indian  Reformers.  We  have  the  Brahmo-Samaj, 
the  Arya-Samaj,  the  Prarthna-Samaj,  and  the 
Adi-Samaj.  The  Arya-Messenger  has  complained 
most  bitterly  of  late  of  divisions  in  the  camp  and 
of  the  danger  of  greater  splits;  but  when  it  was 
hinted  that  the  Arya  and  Brahmo-Samaj  unite, 
the  thought  was  most  indignantly  resented. 
“Never!”  said  the  Messenger,  “why,  the 
Brahmo-Samaj  is  only  a kind  of  Christianity!  ” 

When  we  turn  to  the  Mohammedan  commu- 
nity we  find  the  same  conditions  there.  True, 
the  pious  Moslem  cries,  “There  is  but  one  God, 
Allah,  and  Mohammed  is  His  prophet,”  but  with 
this  general  creed  and  the  Koran  we  find  them 
divided  into  Shias  and  Sunnias,  and  these  are  di- 
vided and  subdivided  until  it  has  passed  into  a 
proverb  that  there  are  seventy-two  sects  of  Mo- 
hammedans. Hence  it  is  easy  to  see  that  in 
speaking  of  the  Zenana,  it  is  difficult  to  make 
general  statements  that  would  cover  the  whole 
Mohammedan  community. 

The  customs  and  practices  in  North  India  are 

often  very  different  from  those  of  Bombay; 

90 


The  Zenana 


while  a different  state  of  affairs  from  all  other 
sections  of  India  exists  in  the  Hyderabad  State, 
where  perhaps  the  Zenana  in  its  strictness,  sever- 
ity and  style  corresponds  more  with  that  of  other 
Mohammedan  countries.  In  Bombay  the  Zenana 
can  be  hardly  said  to  have  taken  root  at  all. 
Strictly  speaking,  it  does  not  exist  among  the 
Khojas.  The  women  of  other  sects  move  about 
more  or  less  freely.  A glance  at  the  house  in 
Bombay  is  proof  of  this.  In  Lucknow  houses 
are  built  with  reference  to  the  Zenana.  The 
front  of  a house  may  look  most  unpretentious, 
but  if  you  pass  through  into  the  rear,  you  will 
find  an  open  court  surrounded  on  its  four  sides 
with  the  women’s  apartments.  In  our  rows  of 
tall  four  and  five  story  houses  in  Bombay,  where 
do  we  find  the  court,  and  the  Zenana?  The 
land  that  makes  the  square  court  up  north,  would 
represent  too  much  money  to  a shrewd  Parsee, 
or  a speculating  Hindu  investor;  and  he  would 
run  up  a four  or  five-storied  chawl  on  it.  It  is 
only  in  the  bungalows  with  more  or  less  of  a 
compound,  that  the  wealthy  Mohammedan,  the 
Arab,  and  the  Persian  finds  a proper  home  for 
his  Zenana  among  us.  Perhaps  our  free  Marathi 
atmosphere  of  Western  India  is  unfavorable  to 
the  Zenana’s  growth. 


' 91 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

In  speaking  of  the  Zenana,  Sir  William  Muir 
suggests  that  in  addition  to  its  being  a command 
of  Mohammed,  that  it  may  be  a necessity  to  the 
system.  He  says:  “With  polygamy,  concu- 
binage, and  arbitrary  divorce,  some  such  restraint 
may  be  necessary  to  check  the  loose  matrimonial 
standard  which  might  otherwise  undermine  the 
decencies  of  social  life.  But  the  institution  of 
the  veil  has  nevertheless  chilled  and  checked  all 
civilizing  influences,  and  rendered  rude  and  bar- 
barous the  Moslem  world.  The  veil,  and  the 
other  relations  that  make  it  necessary,  are  bound 
up  together  with  the  Koran,  and  from  the  Koran 
it  is  impossible  for  the  loyal  and  consistent  Mos- 
lem to  turn  aside.” 

It  would  be  much  easier  for  the  Hindus  to  give 
up  the  custom,  as  it  is  not  commanded  by  their 
sacred  books  and  is  only  custom  with  them.  In 
speaking  to  an  Indian  gentleman  of  Muir’s  sug- 
gestion that  the  Zenana  holds  the  social  fabric  of 
the  Mohammedans  together,  he  said  it  was  not 
true;  that  thousands  of  poor  Mohammedans  did 
not  keep  purdah,  and  that  some  communities 
were  very  lax  in  its  observance,  and  yet  there 
was  no  difficulty.  “But,”  he  added,  “Moham- 
medans are  considered  the  most  immoral  of  na- 
tions, and  it  is  the  Zenana  that  has  made  them  so.” 
92 


The  Zenana 


The  seclusion  of  women  is  bad  enough,  but 
when  intensified  by  polygamy,  it  is  much  worse. 
A man  is  allowed  by  the  Koran,  if  he  wishes  and 
can  support  them,  to  have  four  wives  and  as 
many  concubines  as  he  likes.  Perhaps  the  larger 
number  of  Mohammedans  have  only  one  wife, 
and  an  increasing  number  oppose  polygamy;  but 
many  still  avail  themselves  of  the  privilege.  It  is 
an  expensive  luxury.  Most  of  the  native  princes 
have  been  polygamists.  It  is  said  that  when  the 
last  King  of  Oude  was  deposed,  that  there  were 
seven  hundred  women  found  in  his  harem.  The 
majority  of  this  number  were  no  doubt  servants 
and  attendants  of  his  wives,  for  even  in  some 
homes  of  one  wife  there  are  from  ten  to  twenty 
attendants  and  servants. 

If  the  polygamist  has  the  means,  he  usually  sets 
up  a separate  establishment  for  each  wife:  i.  e.,  a 
suite  of  rooms,  a set  of  attendants,  and  a separate 
courtyard,  though  one  large  wall  may  enclose  the 
whole.  But  where  there  can  be  no  such  arrange- 
ment, and  the  wives  live  together,  it  does  not  re- 
quire a very  great  stretch  of  the  imagination  to 
know  that  there  must  often  be  unhappiness,  and 
strife  among  them:  as  jealousy  must  play  a part 
if  the  husband  is  more  attentive  to  any  one  wife 
than  to  the  others. 


93 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

Mohammed  himself,  had  his  favorite  wife  in 
Ayesha.  There  is  an  inherent  desire  in  a woman’s 
heart  that,  next  to  God,  she  shall  be  first  in  her 
husband’s  affections,  and  she  naturally  resents 
the  thought  of  a rival.  The  system  of  polygamy 
has  never  been  able  to  eradicate  this  desire.  The 
fact  that  some  polygamous  families  may  live 
happily  and  peaceably  under  the  rule  of  the  head 
wife,  is  no  proof  to  the  contrary.  A Moham- 
medan government  official  told  us  once  that  he 
had  three  wives;  that  his  parents  had  chosen  the 
first  one;  that  she  had  no  children,  and  they 
chose  a second,  and  that  he  was  so  dissatisfied 
that  he  chose  a third  himself.  “ But,”  he  added, 
“between  the  three,  1 live  a life  of  it.”  The 
parents  of  young  girls  before  they  are  married 
often  take  a written  promise  from  the  intended 
husbands  that  they  will  not  take  another  wife. 
One  young  girl  added  in  telling  of  this  promise 
they  had  obtained:  “And  my  intended  husband 
is  a good  man  and  he  will  never  do  it.”  Said  her 
friend  in  reply:  “Yes,  but  a pious  Mussalman  is 
allowed  four  by  the  Koran.”  We  knew  of  a 
wife  whom  the  husband  deceived  for  a long  time. 
She  thought  she  was  the  only  wife,  but  was  almost 
heart-broken  when  she  discovered  that  he  had 

another  wife  living  in  a little  house  not  far  away. 

94 


The  Zenana 


Mrs.  Isabella  Bird  Bishop,  the  celebrated  traveller 
in  all  lands,  speaks  even  yet  more  strongly : “I 
have  lived  in  Zenanas  and  can  speak  from  ex- 
perience, of  what  the  lives  of  secluded  women 
can  be — the  intellect  so  dwarfed  that  a woman 
of  twenty  or  thirty  is  more  like  a child,  while  all 
the  worst  passions  of  human  nature  are  developed 
and  stimulated;  jealousy,  envy,  murderous  hate, 
intrigue  running  to  such  an  extent  that  in  some 
countries  1 have  hardly  ever  been  in  a woman’s 
house,  without  being  asked  for  drugs  to  disfigure 
the  favorite  wife,  or  take  away  her  son’s  life. 
This  request  has  been  made  of  me  nearly  one 
hundred  times.  This  is  a natural  product  of  a 
system  that  we  ought  to  have  subverted  long 
ago.” 

Among  one  sect  there  is  a shameless  custom  of 
temporary  marriage,  which  may  be  contracted 
for  six,  nine  or  twelve  months,  or  for  any  period 
that  may  suit,  even  for  a day.  In  our  astonish- 
ment, we  asked : “ And  are  these  marriages  legal, 
and  does  the  Ka[i  unite  such  couples  ? ” The 
reply  came  in  the  affirmative.  It  was  instituted 
by  Mohammed  jaafel,  sixth  Iman  from  Ali. 
Some  writer  in  referring  to  it  speaks  of  it  as  a 
great  blot  upon  the  morals  of  Mohammedan  so- 
cial life. 


95 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

In  addition  to  polygamy  there  is  the  custom  of 
arbitrary  divorce.  A man  may  divorce  his  wife 
on  any  pretext  and  he  need  give  her  no  reason  if 
it  so  please  him.  In  reading  through  the  divorce 
law  of  Mohammedans,  we  were  baffled  and  be- 
wildered by  what  seemed  to  us  the  petty  dis- 
criminations in  the  terms  used  in  divorcing  a 
wife.  The  first  chapter  opens  up  with  the  sen- 
tence; “There  are  thirteen  different  kinds  of  sep- 
aration of  married  parties,  of  which  seven  require 
a judicial  decree  and  six  do  not.”  We  at  last 
understand  this,  that  when  a man  had  repeated 
the  words  of  divorce,  “ talaq,"  three  times  it  was 
irrevocable.  And  not  until  the  wife  had  been 
married  to  another  man  and  divorced  again, 
could  the  first  husband  remarry  her.  A wife 
cannot  usually  divorce  her  husband,  but  she  can 
ask  him  to  divorce  her;  and  unless  he  choose  to 
do  it,  she  cannot  be  released. 

There  are  many  checks  to  divorce,  and  one  is 
that  the  husband  is  required  before  marriage  to 
make  a settlement  upon  the  bride  called  “mahr,” 
and  that  he  cannot  divorce  her  without  paying 
this.  In  well-to-do  communities,  it  is  fixed  at 
from  one  thousand  to  fifteen  hundred  rupees; 
but  to  make  it  impossible  to  divorce  her  we  have 

heard  of  the  sum  being  put  at  a very  fanciful 
96 


The  Zenana 


figure.  We  read  of  one  case  where  it  was  set  at 
twenty-six  thousand  rupees;  and  the  other  day 
we  heard  of  a young  clerk  on  a salary  of  ten 
rupees  per  month  signing  an  agreement  to  a 
“mahr”  of  three  lacs  of  rupees.  Though  Mo- 
hammedanism sanctions  a loose  system  of  di- 
vorce, yet  in  India  it  is  greatly  limited  in  practice 
as  compared  with  other  Mohammedan  countries. 
There  are  whole  sections  of  its  society  in  which 
it  is  rarely  found;  and  in  certain  portions  of  the 
country  this  is  true  even  among  the  better  classes. 
If  it  did  not  affect  the  lot  of  woman  so  sorely  in 
making  domestic  happiness  insecure,  we  would 
have  been  glad  to  have  overlooked  the  subject 
altogether. 

In  conclusion  we  must  say  that  the  Zenana, 
aside  from  its  being  a Mohammedan  institution, 
is  at  present  in  India  largely  a custom,  a fashion, 
and  a standard  of  respectability.  The  majority 
of  women  in  the  Zenanas  do  not  look  upon 
themselves  as  martyrs  to  an  evil  custom;  but, 
says  a writer,  “It  has  now  become  to  Indian  la- 
dies part  and  parcel  of  their  creed.  Modesty,  in  a 
word,  is  to  them  as  the  very  breath  of  their  nos- 
trils. To  do  away  with  it  is  a violation  of  one 
of  the  virtues  of  a woman.” 

They  even  take  a great  pride  in  their  seclusion. 

97 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

The  custom  has  become  a token  of  great  respect- 
ability. Dr.  Murdoch  quotes  Miss  Bielby,  as  say- 
ing: “A  man’s  social  standing  in  his  own  class 
depends,  in  a great  measure,  upon  whether  he 
can  afford  to  keep  his  wife  and  daughters  in 
Zenana  or  not.”  We  have  known  of  families 
who  have  lost  wealth  and  become  very  poor; 
and  the  women  have  been  forced  from  behind 
the  purdah  by  great  suffering  to  seek  to  earn  a 
livelihood.  It  has  been  to  them  like  parting  with 
their  respectability  to  do  it.  We  knew  of  a 
Hindu  lady  who  had  never  left  the  house  but 
once,  and  that  was  to  go  to  her  husband’s  house 
as  a bride.  With  what  pride  she  must  have 
viewed  such  intense  respectability. 

Hindu  women  have  a little  more  laxity  than 
Mohammedans  in  going  on  pilgrimages  and  to 
bathing  ghauts.  The  chadar  well  drawn  down 
over  the  face  preserves  the  purdah  for  them.  It 
is  amusing  to  know  that  in  Benares  the  purdah 
is  most  strictly  kept.  A prime-minister  of  some 
native  state  came  to  Benares  and  drove  about 
with  his  wife  in  a carriage,  when  he  was  asked 
by  the  Hindus  to  desist  from  it.  Marathi  and 
Guzerati  ladies  on  going  to  Benares  to  live,  go 
into  seclusion.  We  know  of  one  such  Guzerati 

lady  who  came  to  Bombay  on  a visit  and  went 
98 


The  Zenana 


about  the  city  freely.  On  her  return  to  Benares 
in  the  seclusion  of  her  purdah  she  laughingly 
told  a lady:  “Oh,  when  1 was  in  Bombay,  1 
went  about  the  streets  with  a bag  in  my  hands 
just  as  you  do.”  A friend  writing  from  Guzerat, 
in  speaking  of  the  seclusion  of  Hindu  ladies  there 
says:  “Amongst  Hindus  other  than  Rajputs  and 
the  better  class  Kunbis  (cultivators),  the  Zenana 
custom  is  very  little  in  vogue.  However  there  is 
a tendency  among  the  wealthier  families  of  all 
classes  to  affect  the  Zenana  seclusion.  It  is  com- 
ing to  be  considered  fashionable  and  good  form 
for  the  ladies  in  the  houses  of  the  rich.” 

But  it  is  said  that  women  are  contented  in 
their  seclusion.  This  is  true.  So  is  the  canary, 
that  was  born  in  the  cage  and  never  tasted  the 
sweets  of  the  free  air.  It  is  also  asserted  that 
the  women  are  not  clamoring  for  emancipation. 
But  these  statements,  though  true,  do  not  in  any 
way  lessen  the  evil  of  the  system  to  woman  and 
to  society;  and  we  earnestly  hope  that  it  will 
soon  be  done  away. 


99 


VI 


MURALIS 

We  have  in  our  possession  a small  band  of 
black  cloth  on  which  are  sewn  seven  cowries, 
the  necklace  of  the  Miirali.  Our  first  knowledge 
of  this  class  of  persons  was  given  us  years  ago 
in  a very  practical  way.  A servant  in  whom  we 
were  much  interested  had  a little  niece  of  about 
nine  years  of  age  who  had  been  married  to  a 
sword.  We  had  heard  all  about  the  wedding, 
and  how  the  wee  child  had,  at  last,  fainted 
through  sheer  fatigue  during  the  long  festivities. 

But  why  was  she  married  to  a sword,  and 
whose  sword  was  it  } Slowly  the  truth  dawned 
upon  us.  We  found  that  the  sword  or  dagger 
belonged  to  the  god  Khandoba,  and  that  inevi- 
table moral  ruin  awaited  the  child.  She  was  a 
Mur  alt.  We  were  greatly  shocked,  but  to  our 
remonstrances,  the  servant  had  but  one  reply; 
“ It  is  our  custom.”  We  became  possessed  with 
a desire  to  save  the  child  from  the  life  that  surely 
awaited  her.  The  servant  finally  brought  her  to 
us,  and  she  was  put  in  a school.  A few  years 

later,  in  spite  of  our  efforts  to  prevent  it,  the  girl 
too 


Mural  is 


was  removed  by  her  relatives,  and  is  now  a 
young  woman  living  a life  of  shame,  supporting 
her  mother  with  her  earnings.  We  never  see 
her,  but  we  think  of  what  she  might  have  been, 
and  the  words  come  unbidden: 

“ Of  all  sad  words  of  tongue  or  pen. 

The  saddest  are  these,  ‘ it  might  have  been.’  ” 

Now  what  are  Miiralis  and  who  is  Khandoba, 
this  Indian  Blue-beard  } There  has  been  consid- 
erable agitation  on  the  subject  of  late,  and  we 
will  try  to  answer  these  two  questions  for  our 
readers. 

Khandoba  is  a deity  of  the  Marathi  country, 
and  is  popularly  believed  to  be  an  avatar,  or  in- 
carnation of  Shiva.  Muralis  are  girls  devoted  to 
him  by  their  parents  in  infancy  or  early  child- 
hood. The  custom  is  confined  to  the  Marathi 
country,  with  the  exception  of  the  Konkon,  but 
it  has  its  counterparts  under  different  names  in 
other  parts  of  the  country,  as  in  the  Devadasis  of 
South  India,  and  in  the  Jogtins,  Bhaoins  and 
others. 

I.  The  headquarters  of  the  worship  of  Khan- 
doba is  at  Jejuri  in  the  Poona  district.  There  is 
also  another  place  of  worship  called  Pali  in  the 

Satara  district;  and  we  have  been  told  of  a third 
101 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

at  Agalgaon,  sacred  to  one  of  Khandoba’s 
wives;  but  of  the  latter  we  could  get  but  little 
information. 

A friend  who  is  an  authority  on  this  subject 
has  given  us  the  following  account;  “Jejuri  is  a 
small  village  situated  at  the  foot  of  a little  hill. 
The  temple  on  its  top,  and  the  general  surround- 
ings, remind  one  of  Parvati  at  Poona.  The  tem- 
ple of  Khandoba  closely  resembles  the  temple  of 
Parvati  with  the  exception  of  its  glittering,  gold- 
plated  crown. 

“The  shepherds  of  the  Marathi  country  are 
special  favorites  of  Khandoba,  because  one  of 
his  wives  was  a shepherd  girl.  She  was  proba- 
bly a young  widow  whom  he  secured  and  kept 
shut  up  for  some  time,  calling  her  his  brother’s 
wife.  But  after  a while  he  wooed  and  won  her, 
and  carried  her  to  his  home  at  JeJuri  on  horse- 
back. 

“ A little  temple  on  the  stairway  is  sacred  to 
Banai,  the  shepherd  girl  who  was  his  favorite 
wife.  In  the  courtyard  facing  the  inner  temple 
stands  a big  image  of  a demon  who  is  named 
Bali  Malla.  It  was  to  kill  this  Bali  Malla  that  the 
god  Shiva  took  a Khanda  or  dagger  in  his  hand, 
and  in  this  way  received  the  title  Khandoba.  A 

little  book  called  Malhari  Mahatmya  tells  the 
102 


Muralis 


same  story  in  a more  elaborate  manner.  Malla 
was  a terrible  demon  who  used  to  vex  the  Rishis 
living  on  the  top  of  this  hill  now  crowned  with 
Khandoba's  temple.  They  complained  to  the 
king  of  the  gods,  but  he  was  powerless.  Then 
all  the  gods  went  to  Shiva,  and  besought  pro- 
tection from  Malla.  Shiva  plucked  a lock  of  hair 
from  his  head,  struck  the  ground  with  it  in  great 
fury,  and  created  a female  demon  to  fight  with 
the  Malla  and  this  army  of  powerful  demons. 
But  this  fury  required  some  one  else  to  help  her. 
So  Martand  Bhairav,  one  of  Shiva’s  chiefs,  of- 
fered to  fight  Malla.  He  took  his  seventy  mil- 
lions of  evil  spirits  to  help  him  in  the  battle. 
This  is  the  origin  of  the  phrase,  ‘Khandoba’s 
yelkoV  which  means  seventy  millions.  The  fa- 
vorite title  of  Khandoba,  the  head  of  the  seventy 
million  evil  spirits,  is  very  appropriate,  consider- 
ing the  deeds  ascribed  to  him,  and  what  is  still 
done  through  his  devotees. 

“There  is  a stone  in  the  courtyard  that  has 
seven  cuts  in  it  which  are  supposed  to  be  the 
marks  left  by  the  blows  of  •his  sword  when  he 
struck  at  his  elder  wife,  Mhalsai,  who  was  angry 
with  him  for  marrying  and  bringing  home  Banai, 
the  shepherd  girl.  Khandoba  punished  her  in 

his  anger  by  striking  at  her  seven  times  with  his 
103 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

sword;  but  she  hid  herself  under  the  rock  and 
was  saved.  So  we  see  that  Khandoba  is  a model 
husband  whose  example  is  so  often  imitated  by 
our  Marathi  people  who  offend  their  wives  in 
many  ways,  and  then  punish  the  poor  woman 
for  being  angry  with  them. 

“The  present  temple  is  not  the  original  resi- 
dence of  Khandoba.  It  was  built  by  Ahalyabai, 
the  Queen  of  Indore,  (who  also  has  become  a 
goddess,  because  she  was  so  very  good,  and  is 
now  worshipped  all  over  the  country,  though 
more  especially  in  the  Marathi  country).  She  be- 
sought him  to  come  down  from  the  top  of  the 
Kade  Pathar  (the  old  Jejuri  hill)  to  reside  in  this 
temple  built  by  her,  so  that  he  could  be  easily 
reached  by  the  weak,  blind,  and  lame  pilgrims 
who  visit  his  shrine.  The  old  temple  is  still  vis- 
ited by  some,  but  this  modern  shrine  receives  the 
general  pilgrimages  which  take  place  four  times 
in  the  year — when  great  bodies  of  pilgrims  visit 
the  temple  and  pay  homage  to  Khandoba.” 

2.  Who  are  the  Muralis  ? 

“Outside  the  main  entrance  of  the  temple 
court,  a stone  column  stands  against  the  wall  on 
the  left  side.  It  is  about  three  feet  high,  and  on 
the  head  of  it  is  cut  a filthy  design.  The  column 

is  called  by  the  name  of  Yeshwantrao,  who  is 
104 


Muralis 


supposed  to  be  a great  god  that  gives  the  pil- 
grims all  they  want.  He  it  is  who  gives  children 
to  barren  women. 

“ It  is  to  this  image  that  poor  deluded  women 
promise  to  sacrifice  their  firstborn  daughters  if 
Khandoba  will  make  them  mothers  of  many  chil- 
dren. Then  after  the  vow,  the  firstborn  girl  is 
offered  to  Khandoba  and  set  apart  for  him  by 
tying  a necklace  of  seven  cowries  around  the 
little  girl’s  neck.  When  she  becomes  of  mar- 
riageable age,  she  is  formally  married  to  the 
khanda  or  dagger  of  Khandoba  and  becomes  his 
nominal  wife.  Henceforth  she  is  forbidden  to 
become  the  wedded  wife  of  man,  and  the  result 
is  that  she  usually  leads  an  infamous  life,  earning 
a livelihood  by  sin.  Some  of  these  girls  become 
wandering  muralis.  Others  become  ordinary 
public  women  in  any  town  or  city;  while  a few 
are  said  to  live  for  years  with  some  one  man. 

“The  parents  of  such  girls  do  not  feel  ashamed 
to  take  her  earnings,  because  they  belong  to 
Khandoba,  and  what  they  do  is  not  sin  in  the 
eyes  of  his  devotees.  Kunbis,  Mahars,  Mangs 
and  other  low  castes  make  muralis  of  their 
daughters  in  this  fashion.  Not  a few  high-caste 
people  visit  Jejuri  to  pay  their  vows;  but  they 

never  give  their  own  girls  to  Khandoba,  but  buy 
105 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

children  from  low-caste  parents  for  a small  sum 
of  money,  which  is  not  a difficult  thing  to  do, 
and  offer  them  instead  of  their  own  children.” 

The  vow  is  frequently  made  in  their  own 
homes  in  their  native  villages,  and  is  often  made 
in  the  case  of  sickness,  that  if  the  god  restores 
the  sick  one,  their  child  shall  be  offered  to  Khan- 
doba.  When  the  vow  is  made,  yellow  powder 
is  rubbed  on  the  child  and  the  cowrie  necklace 
put  on.  When  a suitable  time  arrives,  there  is  a 
pilgrimage  made  to  Jejuri  and  the  marriage  takes 
place  there  with  the  dagger  of  the  idol  which  is 
kept  in  the  temple.  But  if  the  family  are  unable 
to  make  the  journey,  the  ceremony  is  performed 
at  home. 

“ The  business  of  the  murali  is  to  sing  impure 
songs  in  praise  of  Khandoba;  to  perform  night 
worship  and  song-services  in  honor  of  their  gods 
at  different  places;  and  they  earn  their  living  in 
this  way.  A manuscript  book  purchased  from  a 
murali  was  full  of  these  filthy  songs,  which  are 
sung  in  the  night  services  and  are  called  Jagrane, 
or  night  watches. 

“From  earliest  childhood  their  minds  are  cor- 
rupted by  singing  these  songs  in  Khandoba’s 
praise.  To  these  they  add  other  similar  songs 

for  the  entertainment  of  their  patrons  at  whose 
106 


Muralis 


houses  they  are  invited  to  hold  night  services. 
So  long  as  they  are  young  and  attractive  there 
are  many  calls  for  them,  and  their  parents  receive 
large  sums  of  money  and  other  presents.  But 
the  life  soon  stamps  its  awful  mark  upon  them, 
and  their  sad,  pale  faces  can  but  excite  the  pity 
of  the  compassionate.” 

Boys  are  also  devoted  to  Khandoba  and  are 
called  waghyas.  They  wear  a little  tiger-skin 
wallet  suspended  from  their  necks.  They  are 
popularly  spoken  of  as  Khandoba’s  dogs.  They 
are  allowed  to  marry,  and  do  not  necessarily  lead 
a wandering  life  unless  they  choose.  The  wan- 
dering ones  are  usually  disreputable. 

We  have  been  unable  to  get  any  statistics  as  to 
the  number  of  muralis.  At  Jejuri  alone  we  are 
told  that  about  one  hundred  girls  are  offered 
every  year,  and  in  some  years  more.  In  one 
town  where  we  lived  for  years,  in  the  midst  of  a 
population  of  ten  thousand  people,  there  were 
two  hundred  and  eighty  muralis  registered  by 
the  police.  These  two  facts  give  us  a little  clue 
to  the  many  hundreds  of  girls,  all  over  the 
Marathi  country,  who  have  been  devoted  to  this 
shameful  life. 

You  may  search  far  and  wide,  and  the  only 

reason  for  this  awful  crime  against  young  girls 
107 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

that  you  will  receive  is:  “It  is  our  custom.” 
Just  how  old  the  custom  is,  no  one  knows.  It  is 
said  not  to  be  mentioned  in  the  sacred  books, 
but  the  principle,  under  different  names,  has 
existed  in  India  from  time  immemorial.  The 
Puranas  mention  nautch-girls,  and  also  speak 
of  public  women  at  certain  places  who  seem  to 
be  identical  with  the  present  devadasis,  or  temple 
girls.  Custom  and  religion  cannot  be  separated 
in  this  land.  Custom  is  religion.  Present  cus- 
toms, however  ancient  or  modern  they  may  be, 
make  up  popular  Hinduism. 

At  the  last  yearly  meeting  of  the  Christian 
Woman  Workers’  Union,  held  in  Bombay,  the 
matter  was  taken  up,  with  the  view  of  calling  the 
attention  of  government  to  the  facts.  Carefully 
collected  information  as  to  the  custom  has  been 
laid  before  a firm  of  solicitors  in  this  city  by  a 
committee  from  the  Bombay  Missionary  Confer- 
ence, to  whom  the  ladies  of  the  Union  referred 
the  matter;  and  the  questions  asked  if  any  mem- 
ber of  the  public  could  rescue  a “murali”  who 
was  under  age  from  the  life  to  which  she  had 
been  devoted,  through  a court  of  law;  and  also, 
if  a member  of  the  public  should  succeed  in  get- 
ting possession  of  the  person  of  a “murali” 

under  age,  could  her  parents  or  any  one  else  take 
108 


Muralis 


the  child  away  again,  if  it  had  been  proven  that 
the  sole  object  of  the  one  who  rescued  her,  was 
to  save  her  from  a life  of  sin. 

The  solicitors  replied  that  they  thought  the  ob- 
ject could  be  attained  under  Section  372  and  373 
of  the  Indian  Penal  Code  in  cases  of  minors 
under  sixteen  years  of  age.  These  sections  pro- 
vide that  persons  disposing  of  minors  for  evil 
purposes,  “or  knowing  that  any  minor  will  be 
so  used,”  shall  be  punished  with  imprisonment 
of  either  description  for  a term  which  may  ex- 
tend to  ten  years,  and  shall  also  be  liable  to  fine. 
The  committee  add  to  this  the  hope  that  this 
reply  “will  be  made  use  of,  on  the  one  hand,  to 
deter  those  purposing  to  marry  their  daughters  to 
Khandoba;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  by  leading  to 
the  rescue  of  girls  from  the  sad  life  before  them. 
It  is  an  exceedingly  important  point  to  be  kept  in 
mind  that,  in  the  act  of  marrying  their  daughters 
to  Khandoba,  parents  lose  the  right  of  guardian- 
ship, and  a third  party  can  step  in  to  assume  the 
place,  provided  it  is  for  the  girl’s  rescue.” 

The  difficulty  in  the  above  is,  that  it  will  re- 
quire time,  a great  deal  of  disinterested  effort, 
and  the  expense  attendant  upon  it.  Who  will 
make  the  prosecutions  ? Will  it  be  left  to  a few 

missionaries?  Or  will  the  educated  classes  co- 
109 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

operate  ? Perhaps  a half  dozen  prosecutions 
will  break  the  back  of  the  custom  in  larger  towns 
and  cities,  but  what  of  the  hundreds  of  villages 
away  from  such  influences  ? 

But  the  matter  should  not  be  allowed  to  rest 
here.  The  custom  is  a blot  on  society  and  a 
wrong  to  women,  and  should  be  abolished. 
Laws  in  other  lands  protect  the  rights  of  infants 
and  minors.  The  crime  of  the  Murali  question 
is  that  thousands  of  girls,  before  they  are  born, 
or  while  still  infants  and  mere  children,  are 
placed  in  a position  that  compels  them  to  become 
moral  and  physical  wrecks;  and  the  heinousness 
of  it  is  enhanced  by  its  being  done  in  the  name 
of  religion. 

In  one  district  where  missionary  work  has  ex- 
isted for  fifty  years,  and  where  there  is  a large 
number  of  Christians  from  the  Mahar  community, 
the  custom  has  almost  disappeared.  Over  and 
over  again,  as  we  have  penned  this  chapter,  have 
we  thought  of  the  promise  in  Ezekiel:  “From 
all  your  filthiness  and  from  all  your  idols  will  I 
cleanse  you.” 

An  Indian  lady,  who  has  recently  written  on 
this  subject,  says:  “ I have  felt  sick  at  heart,  as  1 
have  thought  of  the  thousands  of  muralis  whose 

blood  has  been  shed  on  the  altar  of  the  leader  of 
no 


Muralis 


seventy  million  devils.  Khandoba  is  truly  the 
Beelzebub  of  the  Marathi  country.  Let  us  pray 
to  Him  who  has  promised  to  cleanse  us  from  all 
our  uncleanness,  to  cleanse  the  land  from  all  its 
cruel  and  filthy  customs.”  To  this  prayer  we 
are  sure  our  readers  will  say,  Amen! 


Ill 


VII 


DEVADASIS 

Many  people  outside  of  India,  when  they  hear 
of  Hindu  temples,  imagine  them  to  be  houses  of 
worship,  where  the  people  of  the  town,  men, 
women  and  children,  regularly  assemble  for  wor- 
ship. They  suppose  that  here  the  idol  is  wor- 
shipped; that  offerings  are  made  to  it;  that 
prayers  are  made  and  praises  sung  to  the  image; 
and  that  the  priests  instruct  the  people  from  the 
Hindu  shastras  or  scriptures.  They  form  this 
idea  from  their  knowledge  of  Christian  churches 
and  worship.  It  is  true  that  in  the  different  re- 
form movements  we  find  them  gathering  in  a 
church  or  hall,  with  a service  modelled  after  the 
Christian  form  of  worship;  assembling  on  stated 
days  and  at  stated  hours.  We  have  often  passed 
Prarthana  Samaj  Mandir  in  Bombay  on  a Sabbath 
afternoon,  and  through  the  open  window  wit- 
nessed a gentleman  preaching  to  the  audience 
from  a pulpit  or  stand. 

But  of  Hinduism,  pure  and  simple,  this  ideal  of 
worship,  held  by  many  of  our  Western  friends,  is 

as  far  from  the  truth  as  the  North  from  the  South 
112 


HINDU  TEMl'LES  WORSHIPING  THE  IDOL 


Devadasis 


pole.  The  vast  majority  of  Hindu  temples  are 
small,  usually  not  more  than  eight  by  ten  feet  in 
size,  with  just  room  enough  for  the  idol  and  the 
priest  who  cares  for  it.  In  many  a village  the 
god  is  a shapeless  stone,  daubed  with  red  paint, 
set  up  under  a green  tree,  or  in  some  niche  in  a 
wall,  and  the  withered  flowers  and  broken  cocoa- 
nut  shells  scattered  about  may  be  the  only  indi- 
cation of  worship  to  the  casual  passer-by;  but, 
says  Wilkins,  “it  is  as  carefully  treated  by  its 
priest  as  the  elaborately  carved  idol  in  a beautiful 
temple,  and  is  as  devoutly  worshipped  by  the 
villagers.” 

To  more  pretentious  temples  there  may  be  at- 
tached a large  mandap,  or  hall,  where  the  people 
assemble  to  listen  to  the  Kirtans  or  Kathas  re- 
cited by  the  haridas.  These  Kirtans  and  Kathas 
are  dramatical  and  historical  recitations  of  the  ex- 
ploits and  doings  of  different  gods.  If  there  is 
not  this  mandap,  the  people  gather  under  a tree 
in  the  temple  yard  on  a raised  earthen  platform 
and  listen  to  the  puranik  read  the  shastras.  If 
the  temple  is  a large  one,  the  idol  is  always  in  a 
smaller  inner  room,  or  shrine,  with  an  open  door 
in  front  of  it.  The  point  to  be  observed  is  that 
the  worship  in  the  temple  is  never  that  of  a com- 
munity or  body,  but  of  the  individual.  Each  per- 
ns 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

son  comes,  brings  his  offering,  makes  his  vow 
or  whatever  is  in  his  mind  in  coming,  and  then 
makes  the  circuit  of  the  shrine  any  number  of 
times  from  five  to  a hundred  or  more  as  suits  his 
zeal.  Low-castes  are  not  admitted  to  the  tem- 
ples. The  priest  must  always  be  a Brahman,  but 
is  often  illiterate,  only  knowing  by  heart  a few 
Sanskrit  texts  and  mantras.  He  never  instructs 
the  people  in  the  shastras,  and  is  often  avaricious 
and  unscrupulous.  Rev.  Dr.  Bradford,  in  a re- 
cent issue  of  the  New  York  Independent,  quotes 
one  of  the  Sveamis  from  India,  who  was  in 
America  last  year,  as  acknowledging  to  him 
that  there  are  immoralities  and  vices  connected 
with  the  temple  worship  in  India,  but  he  added: 
“ The  temple  worship  is  one  thing,  and  religious 
teaching  is  another  thing." 

In  addition  to  the  local  temples  in  the  cities, 
towns  and  villages,  there  are  temples  at  the  sa- 
cred places  all  over  the  country  visited  by  thou- 
sands of  pilgrims  from  all  parts  of  the  land,  and 
in  the  visiting  of  which  special  merit  or  salvation 
is  supposed  to  be  attained.  With  the  names  of 
many  of  the  most  noted,  Benares,  Kali  Ghat  at 
Calcutta,  Gya,  Puree,  Rameshwar  and  others, 
our  readers  are  familiar.  In  Dr.  Murdoch’s  de- 
scription of  Puree,  we  find  that  the  temple  of 
114 


Devadasis 


Jagannath,  the  “lord  of  the  world,”  is  composed 
of  four  distinct  buildings  opening  one  into  the 
other.  The  first  is  about  eighty  feet  square  and 
one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  height.  This  is 
the  cook-room,  where  food  is  cooked  before  the 
god  and  sold  to  the  pilgrims  as  holy.  This 
building  opens  into  another  called  the  dancing 
hall,  where  the  musicians  and  dancing-girls 
amuse  the  god.  This  opens  in  turn  into  the 
next  building  that  is  called  the  audience  chamber, 
from  which  the  pilgrims  look  into  the  last  build- 
ing which  is  the  shrine,  where  sits  the  idol  him- 
self. 

Many  of  the  large  temples  we  have  seen  are 
covered  with  sculptures  of  different  figures,  some 
of  them  very  finely  executed,  some  of  them  fan- 
tastic, and  some  quite  rude.  On  some  of  the 
temples  the  figures  are  extremely  indecent. 
There  are  a great  number  of  statues  of  men  and 
women  in  the  niches  and  recesses  of  the  audi- 
ence chamber  at  Puree,  a few  of  which  are  said 
to  be  disgustingly  obscene.  Similar  sculptures 
are  said  to  be  found  in  many  of  the  temples  in 
South  India.  In  proof  of  this  we  have  only  to 
quote  Section  292  of  the  Penal  Code: — “292. 
Whosoever  sells  or  distributes,  imports  or  prints 

for  sale  or  hire,  or  willfully  exhibits  to  public 
115 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

view,  any  obscene  book,  pamphlet,  paper,  draw- 
ing, painting,  representation,  or  figure,  or  at- 
tempts or  offers  so  to  do,  shall  be  punished  with 
imprisonment  of  either  description  for  a term 
which  may  extend  to  three  months,  or  with  fine, 
or  with  both.” 

But  the  following  exception  is  made: 

“ This  section  does  not  extend  to  any  repre- 
sentation sculptured,  engraved,  painted  or  other- 
wise represented  on  or  in  any  temple,  or  on  any 
car  used  for  the  conveyance  of  idols,  or  kept  or 
used  for  any  religious  purpose.” 

The  Indian  Social  Reformer,  according  to  Dr. 
Murdoch,  makes  the  following  excellent  com- 
mentary on  the  above: 

“ With  Edmund  Burke  we  have  no  notion  of  a 
geographical  morality.  What  is  immoral  in  Eng- 
land is  immoral  in  India.  The  Calcutta  Legisla- 
tive Council,  however,  seems  to  be  of  a different 
opinion.  It  believes  in  a local  morality.  It  has 
solemnly  decided  that  what  is  immoral  in  the 
shop  is  not  immoral  in  the  temple;  that  what  is 
immoral  in  a carriage  is  not  immoral  in  a car. 
One  would  almost  suppose  that  our  legislators 
were  orthodox  Hindus  of  the  first  water. 

"There  is  a saying  in  the  Hindu  shastras  that 

‘the  mighty  are  not  to  be  blamed.’  It  is  on  this 
116 


Devadasis 


ethical  formula  that  Hindus  exculpate  their  gods 
from  the  charge  of  immorality.  Our  legislators 
have,  it  seems,  adopted  this  principle.  What  is 
a punishable  crime  in  us  poor  mortals,  is  no  pun- 
ishable crime  in  the  gods.  If  an  obscene  print 
were  stuck  on  our  carriage  we  should  be  impris- 
oned or  fined  or  both;  if  the  ugly  stump  of  a di- 
vinity, dignified  with  the  appellation  of  ‘the  lord 
of  the  world,’  were  to  exhibit  a thousand  libidi- 
nous pictures  on  its  car,  it  would  not  be  recogniz- 
able as  a punishable  crime  in  the  proprietors  of 
that  divinity.  They  could  still  go  on  corrupting 
the  public  morals,  offending  the  public  taste, 
under  the  sanction  of  the  Legislative  Council.” 

In  connection  with  this  temple  there  is  quite  an 
establishment.  Dr.  Murdoch  says:  “About 

six  hundred  and  forty  persons  are  required  to  fill 
up  all  the  appointments,  of  which  a few  may  be 
mentioned.  There  is  the  officer  who  takes  Ja- 
gannath  to  his  bed;  another  who  wakes  him; 
one  who  gives  him  water  and  a toothpick  to 
wash  his  face  and  cleanse  his  mouth;  an  officer 
to  give  him  rice;  another  to  give  him  betel;  a 
washerman  to  wash  his  clothes;  an  officer  to 
count  his  robes;  another  to  carry  his  umbrella; 
another  to  tell  him  the  hours  of  worship.  Be- 
sides all  these  there  are  about  four  hundred  fami- 
117 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

lies  of  cooks  and  one  hundred  and  tu'enty  danc- 
ing-girls.” 

It  is  to  these  women  that  we  wish  to  direct 
attention.  Dubois  says  of  them  that,  “next  to 
the  sacrificers,  they  are  the  most  important  per- 
sons about  the  temple.”  They  are  known  by  the 
name  of  Temple-girls  or  devadasis.  Notwith- 
standing these  at  Puree,  and  a few  in  other  parts 
of  India,  the  real  home  of  the  devadasi  is  in 
South  India.  The  word  means  the  servants  or 
slaves  of  the  gods.  They  receive  a certain  allow- 
ance, usually  small  and  nominal,  from  the  rev- 
enue of  the  temple.  Their  duty  is  to  sing  and 
dance  before  the  temple  gods,  and  in  the  idol 
processions.  Madura,  Trichinopoly,  Srirangam, 
Shrirangapatan,  Tripati,  Kumbakonam,  Udapi, 
and  many  other  towns  in  Southern  India,  have 
large  and  ancient  temples  dedicated  to  various 
gods,  and  have  devadasis  connected  with  them. 
According  to  the  Madras  census  report  of  1881, 
there  were  1 1,573  women  “ dancers  ” in  the  Pres- 
idency. 

A friend  writes  to  us  as  follows:  “The  gods 
in  the  Hindu  heavens  are  not  satisfied  with  hav- 
ing one  or  more  wives  of  their  own,  they  also 
have  a number  of  public  women,  c^Wed  Apsaras, 

who  dance  and  sing  and  add  to  the  comfort  of 
118 


Devadasis 


the  gods.  According  to  Hindu  belief,  men  who 
have  performed  meritorious  deeds  go  to  heaven, 
and  their  chief  happiness  consists  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  society  of  the  Apsaras.  The  devada- 
sis are  the  counterpart  of  the  Apsaras  on  earth ! ” 

Whatever  may,  in  the  very  beginning,  have 
been  the  conception  of  thus  devoting  girls  to 
gods  and  temple  service,  it  is  now,  and  has  been 
for  centuries,  a most  debasing  custom.  They  are 
invariably  courtesans  sanctioned  by  religion  and 
society.  Dr,  Murdoch  quotes  the  dancing-girls 
of  Orissa  as  saying,  in  a memorial  to  the  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of  Bengal,  that  they  “ are  greatly 
needed  in  pujas  and  the  auspicious  performances, 
and  the  entertainment  of  them  is  closely  connected 
with  the  management  of  temples  and  shrines; 
from  which  it  is  evident  that  their  existence  is  so 
related  to  the  Hindu  religion  that  its  ceremonies 
cannot  be  fully  performed  without  them.”  He 
also  quotes  The  Hindu  as  affirming  “that  the 
demoralization  it  causes  is  immense.  So  long  as 
we  allow  it  to  be  associated  with  our  temples  and 
places  of  worship,  we  offend  and  degrade  our  re- 
ligion and  nationality.  The  loss  and  misery  it 
has  entailed  on  many  a home  is  merely  inde- 
scribable.” 

These  girls  are  the  common  property  of  the 
119 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

priests.  Wicked  men  visit  the  temple,  ostensibly 
to  worship,  but  in  reality  to  see  these  women. 
And  what  shall  we  say  of  the  simple-minded, 
but  well-to-do  pilgrim,  should  he  fall  under  their 
power  ? He  will  probably  return  to  his  home  a 
ruined  man.  That  a temple,  intended  as  a place 
of  worship,  and  attended  by  hundreds  of  simple- 
hearted  men  and  women,  should  be  so  polluted, 
and  that  in  the  name  of  religion,  is  almost  be- 
yond belief;  and  that  Indian  boys  should  grow 
up  to  manhood,  accustomed  to  see  immorality 
shielded  in  these  temples  with  a divine  cloak, 
makes  our  hearts  grow  sick  and  faint. 

Along  with  this  sad  story  of  wrong  to  Indian 
womanhood  from  South  India,  we  have  an 
equally  dark  one,  though  in  different  dress,  of 
the  Vaishnavis  from  Brindaban  in  the  North. 
This  city  is  one  of  those  places  held  sacred  to  the 
god,  Krishna.  When  the  reader  recalls  the  aw- 
ful character  of  Krishna,  our  story  will  easily  be 
accredited.  From  childhood  to  old  age  he  was 
morally  bad;  he  was  disobedient,  dishonest  and 
untruthful;  as  a man  he  was  the  incarnation  of 
impurity.  He  is  said  to  have  had  eight  queens 
and  sixty  one  hundred  wives.  In  Benares  there 
is  a temple  dedicated  to  Radha-Krishna,  and 

“ Radha-Krishna  ” is  the  formula  you  will  hear 
120 


Devadasis 


men  repeating  in  their  religious  exercises.  But 
this  Radha  was  not  his  wife,  but  his  mistress. 
Is  it  strange,  then,  that  his  followers  are  amongst 
the  most  immoral  of  all  the  Hindus?  Bishop 
Caldwell  says  that  “the  stories  related  of 
Krishna’s  life,  do  more  than  anything  to  destroy 
the  morals  and  corrupt  the  imaginations  of  Hindu 
youth.”  At  the  door  of  this  god,  too,  can  be 
laid  the  corruption  and  ruin  of  thousands  of 
women. 

One  of  the  sects  of  his  followers  is  called  the 
Chaitanya  sect.  Chaitanya  lived  four  hundred 
years  ago.  He  was  famous  for  his  learning  and 
poetical  abilities;  and  above  all  for  his  devotion 
to  Krishna.  His  followers  believed  that  he  was 
an  incarnation  of  Krishna.  He  chiefly  dwelt  at 
Nuddea.  Reformers  sometimes  try  to  interpret 
his  writings  in  the  most  sublime  and  spiritual 
manner;  but  the  practical  working  out  of  his 
teachings  in  the  lives  of  his  followers  at  Nuddea 
and  Brindaban,  is  the  best  interpretation.  His 
followers  worship  Krishna,  and  try  to  be  like 
him  in  every  respect.  Men  forsake  home  and 
relatives  to  come  and  live  in  these  sacred  places. 
They  live  chiefly  in  the  temples,  and  many  lead 
most  immoral  lives.  From  these  places,  like  all 

sacred  places,  agents  are  sent  throughout  the 
121 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

country  by  the  priests  to  induce  the  people  to 
make  pilgrimages  to  the  several  shrines.  Said  a 
widow  to  us:  “ These  emissaries  of  the  priests 
hunt  for  poor  destitute  widows  at  the  same  time." 
And  she  added:  “When  we  arrived  at  Brinda- 
ban,  the  priests  of  the  place  met  us  at  the  railway 
station,  and  got  us  a house  which  was  so  filthy 
we  could  not  endure  it.  We  then  sought  for 
another,  and  found  a good  one  belonging  to  a 
Mahant.  When  he  saw  us  women,  he  was  very 
anxious  for  us  to  stay,  but  we  knew  what  it 
meant  and  left  immediately.  We  finally  stayed 
in  a dirty  house  where  many  respectable  pilgrims 
had  taken  their  abode.  These  agents  tell  the 
widows  whom  they  seek  in  the  villages  and  the 
towns,  that  they  will  go  right  to  heaven  if  they 
will  only  go  to  these  sacred  places  and  live  there 
and  serve  the  sadhus  or  saints,  and  worship 
Krishna.  The  poor  ignorant  women  are  easily 
persuaded  to  leave  their  homes,  as  many  of  them 
are  very  unhappy  in  them,  and  they  think  it  is 
far  better  to  go  and  live  and  die  there  serving  and 
pleasing  Krishna.  Thus  hundreds  of  widows, 
young  and  old,  go  to  Mathura  and  Brindaban, 
and  fall  into  the  snares  of  the  priests.  They 
soon  spend  the  little  they  have  in  giving  alms 

and  presents  to  the  priests.  And  when  all  is 
122 


Devadasis 


spent,  they  cannot  return  to  their  native  places 
even  if  they  wish  to  do  so.  Their  last  resort  is 
to  go  about  begging  for  food,  and  if  they  are 
young  and  tolerably  good-looking,  the  priests, 
the  mahants,  the  sadhus  and  mendicants  are  all 
after  them,  and  get  them  to  live  in  their  houses, 
first  as  servants,  and  then  as  mistresses;  or  they 
hire  them  out  to  other  men  in  towns  and  villages 
near.  If  the  women  are  unwilling  to  lead  im- 
moral lives,  they  are  told  that  it  is  no  sin  to  live 
thus  in  these  sacred  places,  for  these  places  are 
the  chosen  abode  of  Krishna,  and  he  is  always 
pleased  with  those  followers  who  imitate  him, 
who  live  happily  as  he  and  Radha  lived.  When 
these  women  get  old,  or  displeasing  to  the  men, 
they  are  turned  out  and  have  to  shift  for  them-* 
selves;  ragged,  helpless,  physical  wrecks,  seem- 
ing forsaken  of  all.  They  are  often  left  to  die 
like  dogs.  We  went  around  the  town  at  almost 
all  hours  with  open  eyes  and  saw  the  condition 
of  these  women.  There  were  hundreds  of  wid- 
ows who  had  come  mostly  from  Bengal.  The 
sin  and  misery,  and  the  heartless  cruelty  of  man 
to  woman  which  we  saw  there  on  every  side,  is 
beyond  description!” 

We  marvel  at  the  long-suffering  of  God  as  He 

daily  beholds  this  modern  Sodom.  And  we 
123 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

wonder  at  man,  even,  who  knows  these  wrongs 
and  can  keep  silent.  It  is  true,  Brindaban  is  a 
long  way  from  many  of  us.  But  what  if  your 
sisters  and  daughters  were  among  these  widows  ? 
What  then  ? 

In  Western  India  there  is  another  class  called 
Bhavins,  who  are  peculiar  to  the  Konkon  and 
Goa;  and  the  name,  says  a Hindu  writer,  is  “ap- 
plied to  women  in  the  service  of  the  idols  in 
temples  in  Goa  and  places  round  about,  and  in 
parts  of  the  Konkon.  Some  of  these  women  are 
presented  to  the  gods  in  infancy  by  their  parents, 
as  the  muralis  are.  Their  business  is  to  attend 
the  temple  lamps,  and  keep  them  trimmed;  to 
sweep  and  smear  the  floor;  to  turn  the  chauri 
over  the  idol;  serve  the  huriha  to  the  congrega- 
tion; and  to  serve  the  visitors  of  the  temple. 
They  always  trim  the  lamps  with  their  fingers, 
and  not  with  small  sticks  as  other  Hindus  do. 
The  trimming  of  the  lamp  with  the  fingers  by 
any  other  than  a Bhavin  is  supposed  to  bring 
poverty;  and  this  is  particularly  observed  in  all 
Hindu  houses.” 

These  women  are  descendants  of  pure  Mara- 
thans,  but  of  all  these  different  classes  of  women 
they  seem  to  be  the  lowest,  and  to  be  held  in 

such  contempt,  that  it  has  passed  into  a proverb; 

124 


Devadasis 


and  because  “they  have  degraded  themselves  to 
the  post  of  ‘temple  cats,’  they  have  seats  allotted 
to  them  behind  the  temples,  while  the  Naikin  or 
nautch-girl  dances  before  the  gods,  in  the  gather- 
ings of  the  great,  and  has  a seat  allotted  to  her 
before  the  gods.”  Some  of  them  are  in  posses- 
sion of  landed  property  which  has  been  given  to 
them  for  their  maintenance.  These  Bhavins, 
Muralis,  Jogtins  and  others,  seem  to  be  consid- 
ered a lower  order  of  being  than  the  devadasi  or 
the  nautch-girl;  but,  under  whatever  name  these 
women  pass,  and  however  much  the  details  of 
the  customs  among  them  may  differ,  the  prin- 
ciple is  the  same  in  all,  immorality  under  the 
shelter  of  religion  and  custom. 


125 


VIII 


THE  NAUTCH-GIRL 

The  institution  of  the  nautch-girl  is  a very  an- 
cient one,  coming  down  to  Hindu  society  from 
very  early  times.  In  confirmation  of  the  antiq- 
uity and  religious  sanction  of  this  custom  an  In- 
dian friend  who  is  a competent  authority  writes 
us:  “The  description  of  Krishna  performing 
pilgrimages,  going  to  bathe  in  sacred  rivers  or 
seas,  taking  with  him  thousands  of  harlots  to 
dance  and  sing  in  his  presence,  establishes  the 
fact  that  nautches  and  nautch-girls  were  favored 
by  him.  In  the  Mahabharata  and  Puranas  there 
are  many  instances  where  reference  is  made  to 
this  practice  having  been  countenanced  by  incar- 
nate gods  and  holy  men.” 

We  also  find,  in  an  old  issue  of  the  Indian  So- 
cial Reformer,  the  following  paragraph:  “Even 
in  the  days  of  Krishna,  the  nautch-girl  had  her 
place.  For  we  read  in  Bhagavatam  (in  the  de- 
scriptions given  by  the  poet  regarding  the  wel- 
come given  to  Krishna  on  his  return  to  his  na- 
tive town  after  the  wars  of  the  Mahabharata) : 

. . . ‘ And  there  also  advanced  in  chariots, 

126 


The  Nautch-Girl 


hundreds  of  courtesans,  fairest  of  their  class, 
with  their  cheeks  glowing  with  the  reflected 
brightness  of  their  earrings,  all  eager  to  behold 
him;  and  also  actors,  dancers,  singers,  scholars 
in  antique  lore,  eulogists  and  bards  chanting  the 
wonderful  achievements  of  him  whose  praise 
dispels  darkness.’  ” 

In  South  India  the  devadasi  and  the  nautch- 
girl  are  identical;  but  not  so  in  Western  and 
Central  India,  where  these  girls  seem  to  form  a 
separate  class  or  caste  called  Kalavoantin,  and  are 
identified  with  the  temple  service,  but  visit  the 
temples  only  by  invitation  of  the  temple  authori- 
ties for  a performance.  They  are  professional 
singers  and  dancers,  and  their  performances  may 
consist  of  singing  and  dancing,  or  singing  alone. 
They  are  said  to  be  invariably  courtesans,  and 
differ  from  the  common  public  women,  and  even 
from  the  Murali,  Fogtin,  and  Bhavins,  who  are 
also  devoted  to  the  gods,  in  that  from  time  im- 
memorial they  have  had  a religious  and  social 
status  given  them,  and  are  considered  a necessity 
in  the  temple  and  in  the  home  on  marriage  and 
other  festive  occasions. 

The  nautch-girl  often  begins  her  career  of 
training  under  teachers  as  early  as  five  years  of 
age.  She  is  taught  to  read,  dance  and  sing,  and 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

instructed  in  every  seductive  art.  Her  songs  are 
usually  amorous;  and  while  she  is  yet  a mere 
girl,  before  she  can  realize  fully  the  moral  bear- 
ings of  her  choice  of  life,  she  makes  her  debut  as 
a nautch-girl  in  the  community  by  the  observa- 
tion of  a shocking  custom  which  is  in  itself 
enough  to  condemn  the  whole  system. 

As  a large  proportion  of  these  women  are 
childless,  their  ranks  are  reinforced  by  adoption 
of  little  girls  who  are  bought  or  obtained  in  other 
ways.  Illegitimate  children  are  often  passed  on 
to  them,  and  in  the  periodical  famines  that  occur 
in  this  country,  large  numbers  of  girls  find  a 
home  with  this  class  of  persons.  Besides  we  are 
told  that  occasionally  young  widows  go  over  to 
them.  The  young  widow  sees  these  dancing 
girls  honored,  gaily  and  richly  dressed,  with 
plenty  of  jewels,  their  presence  propitious  at 
weddings,  while  they,  poor  things,  know  that 
their  own  presence  is  often  unpropitious  and  not 
desired,  that  they  are  not  honored,  that  jewels 
and  bright  clothes  are  denied  them,  and  it  is  not 
strange  that  they  should  be  tempted  to  make  this 
exchange  of  life. 

For  centuries  dancing-girls  had  the  monopoly 
of  all  the  education  among  women.  They  were 

the  only  women  that  were  taught  to  read  and 
128 


NAUTCH  GIRLS  AN  ELDERLY  WIDOW 


The  Nautch-Girl 

sing  in  public  in  the  country;  and  hence  these 
two  accomplishments  were  so  associated  with 
the  nautch-girl  as  to  be  considered  disreputable 
for  respectable  women.  In  the  early  days  of 
female  education  in  this  century,  one  of  the  stock 
objections  of  the  opposers  was:  “It  is  not  re- 
spectable for  girls  to  be  educated.”  Now  and 
then,  you  may  still  find  an  old  person  that  clings 
to  that  feeling  and  associates  learning  in  his  mind 
with  the  nautch-girl.  Over  twenty  years  ago, 
we  called  on  the  wife  of  a prosperous  Brahman 
government  official.  She  was  a thorough  woman 
of  the  old  type,  but  she  had  a beautiful  little  girl 
of  about  seven,  who  gathered  her  skirts  tight 
about  her  as  we  passed  her,  for  fear  they  might 
touch  ours.  In  the  course  of  conversation,  we 
asked  the  mother  if  the  child  might  learn  to  read: 
and  we  shall  never  forget  the  look  and  tone  of 
scorn  of  the  woman’s  reply  at  the  suggestion. 
It  embodied  all  that  the  words  would  have  con- 
veyed: “Do  you  think  I am  going  to  train  my 
girl  for  a nautch-girl  ? ” And  yet,  strange  to  say, 
had  this  very  mother  been  arranging  to  marry 
her  little  girl,  she  would  have  readily  assented 
perhaps,  that  a nautch-girl  should  be  invited  to 
give  touch  and  finish  to  the  wedding  festivities. 

That  particular  form  of  prejudice  is  now  becom- 
129 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

ing  a thing  of  the  past  as  regards  learning,  but 
no  Hindu  girls  are  receiving  a musical  education, 
and  thus  redeeming  and  rescuing  this  art  from 
the  hands  of  courtesans. 

A friend  of  ours  who  has  a large  school  of 
Indian  girls,  and  who  has  them  taught  singing, 
has  often  been  asked  if  she  is  going  to  teach 
them  to  dance  also;  showing  how  the  association 
of  singing  in  public  is  still  connected  in  many 
minds  with  the  nautch-girl.  At  a recent  Zenana 
' party  which  we  attended,  a young  Christian  girl 
whose  father  had  been  a Brahman,  stepped  for- 
ward in  the  bright  company  and  sang  a Marathi 
solo.  It  was  a beautiful  hymn,  and  her  sweet 
clear  voice,  carried  without  break  through  each 
verse,  accompanied  by  an  exquisitely  modest 
manner,  gave  us  a hint  of  what  Indian  women 
may  accomplish  when  once  trained  singing  is 
divorced  from  immorality. 

It  frequently  happens  that  these  dancing-girls 
are  rich,  beautiful  and  very  attractive,  besides 
being  witty  and  pleasant  in  conversation;  and 
they  are  the  only  women  that  move  freely  in 
men’s  society  in  India.  Dr.  Murdoch  quotes  the 
Indian  Messenger  (a  Calcutta  paper),  as  saying: 
“We  have  seen  with  our  own  eyes  these  women 

introduced  into  respectable  circles  in  open  day- 
130 


The  Nautch-Girl 


light,  and  men  freely  associating  with  them, 
while  the  ladies  of  the  house  were  watching  the 
scene  from  a distance  as  spectators  and  not  tak- 
ing part  in  the  social  pleasures  going  on  before 
them,  in  which  the  dancing-girls  were  the  only 
female  participators.  Could  anything  more  detri- 
mental to  the  cause  of  morality  be  conceived  ? 
In  the  Punjab,  the  dancing-girls  enjoy  public 
favor;  they  move  more  freely  in  native  society 
than  public  women  in  civilized  countries  are  ever 
allowed  to  do.  In  fact,  greater  attention  and 
respect  is  shown  to  them  than  to  married  ladies. 
In  the  Northwest  Provinces  we  have  seen  a 
dancing-girl  treated  with  as  much  courtesy  as  if 
she  were  a princess  descended  from  a distin- 
guished royal  line.” 

’a  few  years  ago,  a writer  in  The  Times  said: 
“The  ample  earnings  obtained  by  the  dancing- 
girl,  and  the  comparative  luxury  in  which  she 
lives,  unfortunately  renders  the  profession  an  at- 
tractive one.  It  is  said  in  reference  to  this  class 
in  Lucknow,  that  a first-class  nautch-woman 
may  have  jewels  and  lace  of  value  from  one 
thousand  to  ten  thousand  rupees;  that  her  fee  for 
singing  for  one  night  is  fifteen  rupees;  and  that 
on  the  occasion  of  a birth  or  marriage,  it  may  be 

as  mucl^as  two  hundred.”  In  Bombay  a nautch- 
131 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

girl  commands  from  twenty-five  to  sixty  rupees  a 
night  for  singing.  Dr.  Murdoch  tells  of  a man 
who  squandered  10,000  rupees  on  a wedding  of 
which  2,000  went  for  nautch-girls.  We  have 
heard  of  them  receiving  as  high  as  500  rupees  for 
one  entertainment,  but  it  must  have  been  by 
some  “star”  in  her  profession.  A girl  may  also, 
by  her  beauty  or  special  accomplishments,  be- 
come famous.  A few  years  ago,  such  a girl 
came  to  Bombay  from  Central  India  and  set  the 
native  community  all  agog  to  hear  and  see  her. 
They  are  as  a rule  avaricious,  and  Dr.  Murdoch 
says: 

“ Very  large  sums  are  often  wasted  on  these 
women  by  men  who  will  not  give  a pice  for 
female  education.  Some  time  ago  a jewel,  set 
with  precious  stones  valued  at  about  2,000  ru- 
pees, was  presented  to  a dancing-girl  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Madras.  Such  payments,  how- 
ever, form  only  a part  of  the  expenses  connected 
with  such  women.  The  sight  of  one  of  them  at 
a public  performance  creates  a desire  for  private 
intercourse.  Such  visits  are  never  welcome  un- 
less accompanied  by  gifts.  A well-informed 
correspondent  of  the  Indian  Social  Reformer 
writes:  ‘ It  is  saddening  to  see  royal  and  aristo- 

cratic families  irretrievably  ruined  by  these 
132 


The  Nautch-Girl 


women.  Many  a wealthy  man  has  had  to  court 
poverty  and  disgrace  on  this  account.  Even  in 
middle  class  society,  many  fritter  away  their 
youth  and  money  to  quench  the  insatiable  thirst 
of  sanctified  immorality.  . . . Not  long  ago, 

in  this  district,  a Brahman  lad  made  a present  of 
4,000  rupees  worth  of  landed  property  to  a danc- 
ing-woman, while  another  spent  his  extensive 
property,  and  stands  to-day  on  the  awful  verge 
of  bankruptcy  and  ruin.  Be  it  remembered  that 
such  occurrences  take  place  in  every  important 
town  in*  India.  When  the  poor  victim  has  lost 
everything,  he  is  rejected,  as  the  skin  of  a fruit 
which  has  been  sucked  is  thrown  away.” 

Many  a family’s  happiness  has  been  ruined,  and 
estrangement  made  complete  between  husband 
and  wife,  by  the  husband  coming  under  the 
power  and  infiuence  of  the  nautch-girl.  But  our 
readers  may  say  that  this  may  occur  in  any  land. 
That  is  true;  but  the  nautch-girl  has  a recognized 
place  in  society  and  religion  that  gives  her  a pe- 
culiar vantage  ground.  In  South  India  she  has 
her  right  and  place  in  the  temple.  In  Western 
India  she  is  there  by  invitation;  and  in  society,  all 
over  India,  she  is  everywhere.  Never  having 
married,  she  can  never  be  a widow.  Hence  her 
presence  at  weddings  is  considered  most  aus- 

133 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

picious.  And  in  Western  India,  in  certain  circles, 
if  her  presence  can  be  afforded,  she  is  the  one 
that  ties  the  wedding  necklace;  (equivalent  to 
putting  on  the  wedding  ring  with  us),  thus  her  de- 
filed hands  become  a bright  omen  that  the  girl- 
bride  may  never  be  a widow.  Aside  from  wed- 
dings, she  graces  many  another  festive  occasion, 
such  as  the  tread  ceremony,  house  warmings, 
and  evening  parties  and  entertainments. 

It  is  in  his  own  father’s  house,  where  her  pres- 
ence sanctioned  by  his  own  father  and  mother, 
and  by  the  presence  of  the  company  and  applause 
of  the  leading  men  of  the  community,  that  many 
a young  man  has  become  fascinated  with  a bright 
dancing-girl;  a fascination  which  has  become  the 
stepping-stone  to  his  moral  and  financial  ruin  as 
he  seeks  her  further  acquaintance.  What  mat- 
ters it  if  his  young  wife’s  heart  breaks  ? What 
is  the  harm  in  it } Father  and  mother  and  the 
best  society,  and  the  temple  authorities  sanction 
this  course.  It  is  not  sin  and  wrong,  but  simply 
custom. 

In  view  of  the  character  of  these  women,  it 
seems  like  the  keenest  irony  to  say  that  they  are 
often  in  requisition  to  complete  the  programme 
to  bid  farewell  to  some  government  official,  or 

to  entertain  the  viceroy,  governors  and  other  of- 
134 


The  Nautch-Girl 


ficials,  or  to  honor  some  European  traveller.  In 
extenuation  we  will  say  that  many  European 
ladies  and  gentlemen  do  not  understand  the  real 
character  of  the  nautch-girl  who  performs  before 
them,  or  they  feel  it  is  a Hindu’s  idea  of  giving 
them  pleasure;  and  after  he,  their  host,  has  gone 
to  so  much  expense,  they  shrink  from  offending 
him  by  expressing  displeasure.  Besides  they  do 
not  understand  the  songs  the  girl  sings,  and 
hence  are  not  shocked. 

Quite  a breeze  was  created  last  August  at  the 
entertainment  of  a high  English  official  in  Tan- 
jore,  when  two  nautch-girls  began  to  sing  a low 
song  in  English  which  called  for  a strong  protest. 
If  Europeans,  both  ladies  and  gentlemen,  from 
the  viceroy  down,  would  refuse  to  attend  any 
festivities  in  which  the  nautch  was  part  of  the 
programme,  great  courage  and  strength  would 
be  given  to  the  cause  of  moral  reform.  We 
know  of  two  friends  in  a lonely  station  who 
were  invited  to  a dinner  given  by  some  Indian 
gentlemen  to  the  officers  of  the  district  on  tour. 
At  the  close  of  the  dinner,  as  they  returned  to 
their  seats  in  the  tent,  they  found  two  nautch- 
girls  seated  on  the  carpet  while  the  players  were 
thrumming  and  tuning  their  instruments.  Imme- 
diately our  friends  arose  to  depart,  and  when 
135 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

pressed  to  stay,  they  clearly  stated  their  reason 
for  going.  An  English  government  official  sit- 
ting near,  whispered  to  the  husband,  “ You  are 
doing  quite  right  in  going.  If  my  wife  were 
here,  1 would  do  the  same.”  These  friends 
would  not  have  gone  to  the  dinner,  had  they 
known  the  nautch  was  on  the  programme.  If  a 
few  high  officials  were  to  make  inquiries  before 
accepting  invitations,  and  refuse  to  go  unless  the 
programme  omitted  the  nautch,  it  would  not 
only  be  a check  to  that  kind  of  entertainment, 
but  would  relegate  it  to  the  place  where  it  mor- 
ally belongs — outside  of  decent  society. 


136 


IX 


AN  ANTI-NAUTCH  MOVEMENT 

In  1892  there  was  organized,  in  Madras,  an 
Anti-Nautch  Movement  by  educated  Hindus. 
The  Indian  Social  Reformer  supported  the 
movement  in  its  columns.  The  Lahore  Purity 
Servant  advocated  the  cause;  and,  occasion- 
ally, articles  appeared  in  other  papers.  The 
movement  has  done  a great  deal  of  good  in 
educating  public  opinion,  and  in  enlisting  men  to 
refuse  to  attend  nautch  parties,  or  to  have  them 
at  the  festivities  in  their  own  homes.  Also, 
later,  Anti-Nautch  and  Purity  Associations  have 
been  organized  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  a 
recognition  of  which  is  always  found  now  in  the 
resolutions  passed  at  the  annual  Social  Confer- 
ence. The  action  taken  in  1899  was  as  follows: 

“ In  the  opinion  of  the  Conference,  the  Reports  of  all  the 
Associations  show  that  a healthy  change  is  taking  place,  in  all 
parts  of  the  country,  in  favor  of  the  Anti-Nautch  and  Purity 
Movements,  including  in  the  last,  the  condemnation  of  the 
practice  of  devoting  girls,  nominally  to  temple  service,  but  prac- 
tically to  a life  of  prostitution ; and  it  entertains  no  doubt  that 
public  sentiment  favors  both  these  movements,  as  tending  to 
purify  our  personal,  family,  and  public  life ; and  the  Conference 
137 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

trusts  that  these  efforts  will  be  continued,  and  that  a vigilant 
watch  will  be  kept  by  the  organs  of  Public  Opinion  upon  all 
attempts  to  violate  this  healthy  sentiment.” 


To  this  there  has  been  added,  for  the  first  time, 
the  clause  expressing  disapproval  of  the  dedica- 
tion of  girls  to  temple  service,  and  defines  it  to 
be  practically  a life  of  immorality.  In  spite  of 
the  optimistic  tone  of  the  resolution,  we  consider 
that  the  Anti-Nautch  Movement  is  less  aggressive 
now  than  formerly. 

In  its  beginning,  in  the  latter  part  of  1893,  an 
appeal  was  made  to  the  Viceroy  and  Governor- 
General  of  India,  and  to  the  Governor  of  Madras, 
in  the  shape  of  a memorial  which  bore  a large 
number  of  signatures  of  the  educated  class, 
with  the  hope  of  gaining  their  practical  help  and 
influence  in  so  great  a moral  question.  As  the 
memorial  also  defines  the  position  of  the  Anti- 
Nautch  Movement,  we  give  it  in  full: 

" The  humble  memorial  of  the  undersigned 
members  of  the  ‘ Hindu  Social  Reform  Associa- 
tion ' of  Madras,  and  others, 

Most  Respectfully  Sheweth  : 

I.  That  there  exists  in  the  Indian  community 
a class  of  women  commonly  known  as  nautch- 
girls. 


138 


An  Anti-Nautch  Movement 

2.  That  these  women  are  invariably  prosti- 
tutes. 

That  countenance  and  encouragement  are 
given  to  them,  and  even  a recognized  status  in 
society  secured  to  them,  by  the  practice  which 
prevails  among  Hindus,  to  a very  undesirable  ex- 
tent, of  inviting  them  to  take  part  in  marriage 
and  other  festivities,  and  even  to  entertainments 
given  in  honor  of  guests  who  are  not  Hindus. 

4.  That  this  practice  not  only  necessarily 
lowers  the  moral  tone  of  society,  but  also  tends 
to  destroy  that  family  life  on  which  national  sound- 
ness depends,  and  to  bring  upon  individuals  ruin 
in  property  and  character  alike. 

5.  That  this  practice  rests  only  upon  fashion, 
and  receives  no  authority  from  antiquity  or  re- 
ligion, and  accordingly  has  no  claim  to  be  con- 
sidered a National  Institution,  and  is  entitled  to 
no  respect  as  such. 

6.  That  a strong  feeling  is  springing  up 
among  the  educated  classes  of  this  country  against 
the  prevalence  of  this  practice,  as  is  evinced, 
among  other  things,  by  the  proceedings  at  a pub- 
lic meeting  in  Madras,  on  the  5th  of  May,  1893. 

7.  That  so  keenly  do  your  Memorialists  realize 
the  harmful  and  degrading  character  of  this  prac- 
tice, that  they  have  resolved  neither  to  invite 

139 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

nautch-girls  to  any  entertainments  given  by 
themselves,  nor  to  accept  any  invitation  to  an 
entertainment  at  which  it  is  known  that  nautch- 
girls  are  to  be  present. 

8.  That  your  Memorialists  feel  assured  that 
Your  Excellency  desires  to  aid,  by  every  proper 
means,  those  who  labor  to  remove  any  form  of 
social  evil. 

9.  That  your  Memorialists  accordingly  appeal 
to  Your  Excellency,  as  the  official  and  recognized 
head  of  society  in  the  Presidency  of  Madras,  and  as 
the  representative  of  Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty, 
the  Queen-Empress,  in  whose  influence  and  ex- 
ample the  cause  of  purity  has  ever  found  support, 
to  discourage  this  pernicious  practice  by  declining 
to  attend  any  entertainment  at  which  nautch-girls 
are  invited  to  perform,  and  thus  to  strengthen 
the  hands  of  those  who  are  trying  to  purify  the 
social  life  of  their  community.” 

To  this  memorial  came  the  following  replies: 
“Viceregal  Lodge, 
Simla,  Sept.  23d,  1893. 

Sir, — 1 am  desired  by  His  Excellency,  the 
Viceroy,  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  a memo- 
rial signed  by  yourself  and  numerous  other  per- 
sons, in  which  you  appeal  to  His  Excellency  to 

decline,  for  the  future,  to  attend  any  entertain- 
140 


An  Anti-Nautch  Movement 

merit  at  which  nautch-girls  are  invited  to  perform. 
You  base  your  request  upon  the  statement  that 
these  women  are  invariably  prostitutes,  and  that 
it  is,  therefore,  undesirable  to  countenance,  or 
encourage  them,  in  any  way. 

The  Viceroy  desires  me  to  say  in  reply  that, 
although  he  recognizes  the  excellence  of  the  ob- 
jects upon  which  you  have  addressed  him,  he 
does  not  think  that  he  could  usefully  make  any 
such  announcement  as  that  which  you  have  sug- 
gested. He  has,  on  one  or  two  occasions,  when 
travelling  in  different  parts  of  India,  been  present 
at  entertainments  of  which  a nautch  formed  a 
part,  but  the  proceedings  were,  as  far  as  His  Ex- 
cellency observed  them,  not  characterized  by  any 
impropriety,  and  the  performers  were  present 
in  the  exercise  of  their  profession  as  dancers,  in 
accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  country. 

Under  the  circumstances.  His  Excellency  does 
not,  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  from  India,  feel 
called  upon  to  take  any  action  such  as  that  which 
you  have  recommended.” 

“Government  House, 
Madras,  4th  October. 

Sir, — In  reply  to  the  memorial  recently  received 
from  the  ‘Hindu  Social  Reform  Association,’ 

I am  desired  to  inform  you  that  although  His  Ex- 
141 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

cellency  fully  appreciates  the  good  intentions 
which  have  actuated  those  who  have  joined  with 
you  in  issuing  the  memorial,  yet,  he  doubts  if 
any  advantage  would  be  gained  by  his  accepting 
the  obligation  which  the  memorial  wishes 
to  impose  upon  him.  H.  E,  has  been  present  on 
several  occasions  on  which  nautches  have  been 
performed,  at  none  of  which  has  he  ever  seen 
anything  which  might,  in  the  remotest  degree,  be 
considered  improper;  and  it  has  never  occurred  to 
him  to  take  into  consideration  the  moral  charac- 
ter of  the  performers  at  these  entertainments, 
any  more  than  when  he  has  been  present  at  per- 
formances which  have  been  carried  out  by  pro- 
fessional dancers  or  athletes  either  in  Europe  or 
India.  H.  E.,  the  Governor,  therefore,  regrets 
his  inability  to  conform  to  the  wishes  expressed 
in  the  memorial.” 

On  these  replies  the  Indian  Social  Reformer 
(October  14th,  1893),  makes  the  following  ex- 
cellent comment:  “Both  state  that  at  the  enter- 
tainments given  to  them  they  have  witnessed 
nautches,  but  so  far  as  their  Excellencies  could 
observe  there  was  nothing  improper  in  the  per- 
formance. Both  lay  stress  on  the  nautch-girls 
being  professional  dancers,  and  it  has  never  oc- 
curred to  them  to  look  too  closely  into  the  moral 
142 


An  Anti-Nautch  Movement 


character  of  these  women.  . . . Now  it  was 

never  suggested  by  the  Memorialists  that  in  the 
performance  of  the  nautch  there  is  any  open  im- 
propriety visible  to  the  casual  eye.  Even  if  it 
was  there,  it  is  hardly  to  be  expected  that  it 
should  be  displayed  before  their  Excellencies. 
. . . Their  Excellencies  should  not  forget  that 

they  represent  in  this  country  a sovereign  whose 
respect  for  purity  and  piety  is  as  great  as  she  is 
great.  The  people  of  India  cannot  but  look  with 
wonder  on  the  representatives  of  Her  Majesty 
being  present  at  the  performances  of  women 
who,  as  everybody  knows,  are  prostitutes;  and 
their  Excellencies,  hereafter,  at  least,  must  know 
to  be  such.  ‘ Do  they  get  prostitute  dancers  to 
perform  at  entertainments  given  specially  in 
honor  of  the  royalty  in  Europe  ? The  nautch- 
woman  is  invited  to  perform,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered: which  is  a very  different  thing  from  peo- 
ple going  to  theatres  or  other  places  where  peo- 
ple of  bad  character  may  he  engaged  to  entertain 
the  public.  The  nautch-woman,  thus,  gets  a 
status  in  the  company.” 

Most  Englishmen  look  upon  it  as  a Hindu  cus- 
tom that  has  existed  from  time  immemorial, 
without  a thought  of  its  moral  bearing  on  Hindu 

society.  The  fact  is  that  English  and  native  so- 
143 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

ciety  are  so  widely  separated,  their  customs, 
moral  standards,  and  the  position  of  women  so 
different,  that  the  average  European  fails  to  un- 
derstand the  struggle  that  has  begun  to  right 
matters  in  India,  since  its  contact  with  Western 
education  and  the  Bible  standard  of  morals. 
Many  of  them  would  watch  a nautch  perform- 
ance, as  they  would  a snake  charmer’s  feats,  a 
travelling  juggler’s  tricks,  as  something  novel 
and  curious,  or  perhaps  tiresome,  and  to  be  en- 
dured with  the  best  grace  possible.  Out  of  sight 
it  would  be  out  of  mind.  But  should  an  Eng- 
lish host  bring  for  their  entertainment  into  the 
drawing-room  a similar  class  of  Englishwomen, 
they  would  leave  the  house  scandalized  and  in- 
sulted. They  would  regard  it  as  a recognition 
of  immorality  and  vice  that  could  never  be  en- 
dured. Is  not  what  is  immoral  in  England,  im- 
moral in  India  as  well;  and  can  any  custom  of 
the  people  make  it  otherwise?  We  are  con- 
vinced that  if  the  highest  officials  in  India  were 
to  refuse  to  attend  nautches  on  moral  grounds, 
their  action  would  be  an  object  lesson  in  moral 
education  to  the  whole  country.  Hindu  hosts 
would  soon  be  ashamed  and  drop  the  nautch 
from  the  programmes  of  their  public  entertain- 
ments. The  fact  that  no  protest  is  made,  only 

144 


An  Anti-Nautch  Movement 

encourages  the  idea  that  there  is  nothing  wrong 
or  disgraceful  in  the  custom. 

Again  the  nautch-girl  is  continually  said  by 
many  to  be  only  the  counterpart  of  the  European 
ballet-dancer.  The  ballet-dancer  is  not  necessar- 
ily immoral,  though  it  is  true  that  by  her  profes- 
sion she  is  thrown  into  great  temptation  before 
which  character  often  breaks  down.  But  the 
dancing-girl  is  a recognized  immoral  character, 
and  launched  into  her  career  as  such.  Even  if  it 
were  true  that  the  ballet-dancer  is  invariably  im- 
moral, she  has  no  religious  or  social  standing; 
she  never  conducts  any  part  of  religious  service; 
or  graces  any  wedding  or  other  festivity. 

Again,  in  her  public  capacity,  the  ballet-dancer 
can  choose  her  profession,  or  if  she  wishes  can 
leave  it  and  enter  into  any  other  walk  in  life  for 
which  she  is  fitted;  and  lead  a useful  career. 
But  the  nautch-girl  is  born  into  her  profession, 
and  must  follow  it  just  as  a carpenter,  gold- 
smith, or  farmer  is  born  into  his  caste  and  fol- 
lows the  trade  of  his  father.  If  she  is  adopted 
into  it,  it  is  usually  done  while  she  is  a mere 
child,  and  unconscious  of  what  the  life  in  its 
moral  bearings  is.  The  nautch-girl  is  a recog- 
nized caste.  This  is  the  iniquity  of  it.  We 

would  not  be  hard  on  the  nautch-girl  herself,  al- 
145 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

though  she  is  a pest  and  bane  to  Hindu  society, 
for  she  has  been  made  such;  and  “on  Hindu  so- 
ciety must  rest  the  awful  responsibility  of  these 
abandoned  lives.” 

If  a nautch-woman’s  children  were  boys,  they 
used  to  be  brought  up  as  drummers  and  fiddlers; 
but  now  a change  is  coming  over  this  class,  and 
they  are  educating  their  boys  and  getting  them 
into  higher  walks  of  life.  But  the  girls  must  in- 
variably follow  in  their  mother’s  footsteps.  With 
the  dancing-girls,  a daughter  takes  the  prece- 
dence of  a son,  and  an  adopted  daughter  takes  the 
same  place,  and  has  the  same  rights  as  an  adopted 
son  in  other  castes. 

The  custom  of  adopting  a daughter  in  this 
caste  has  always  prevailed  in  India,  and  has  been 
recognized  and  sustained  by  Hindu  law.  The 
reason  usually  given  for  adoption  is,  that  the 
nautch-girl  being  childless,  wishes  to  have  some 
one  to  inherit  her  property.  We  do  not  question 
the  statement;  but  we  know  that  many  of  these 
women  do  adopt  girls  when  they  already  have 
natural  children,  and  this  claim  cannot  be  made 
for  them.  In  addition  to  this  desire  for  an  heir, 
there  must  be  added  the  desire  to  have  some 
one,  in  case  of  adversity  in  old  age,  to  support 

them  by  their  earnings;  and  that,  too,  adoption 
146 


An  Anti-Nautch  Movement 

by  such  women  is  only  a cloak  to  secure  children 
for  immoral  purposes  whose  earnings  will  in- 
crease the  family  revenue;  for  most  of  them 
have  to  pass  all  they  earn  over  to  the  “ mother,” 
or  mistress  as  she  might  in  some  cases  more 
properly  be  called. 

We  cannot  agree  with  the  Memorialists  when 
they  say,  “that  this  practice  rests  only  upon 
fashion,  and  receives  no  authority  from  antiquity 
or  religion;”  for  some  of  the  sacred  books  give 
accounts  of  this  class  as  existing  then,  and  it  is 
this  very  ancient  usage  with  religious  sanction, 
that  makes  evil  so  hard  to  deal  with  now.  Let 
the  Memorialists  keep  knocking  at  the  doors  of 
Viceregal  Lodge,  and  at  the  minds  and  con- 
sciences of  the  people,  till  government  knows 
that  the  better  classes  desire  the  law  to  be  put  in 
execution,  and  that  there  is  a change  in  popular 
opinion  to  warrant  the  demand. 


147 


X 


INFANTICIDE 

“ Murder  is  the  first  specific  crime  brought  to 
our  notice  after  the  fall  of  man,  and  in  its  form 
of  infanticide,  it  has  been  more  or  less  practiced 
and  approved  from  motives  of  corrupted  religion, 
and  mistaken  social  economy,  by  almost  all  the 
tribes  and  nations  of  the  world. 

“When  the  grand  objects  of  sacrifice,  the  ear- 
liest prescribed  rule  of  religion,  the  acknowledg- 
ment by  the  worshipper  of  a guilt  deserving  suf- 
fering and  death,  and  the  foreshadowing  of  the 
offering  of  the  promised  substitute  and  Saviour, 
were  forgotten  or  obscurely  remembered,  the 
maxim  that  the  “fruit  of  the  body  should  be 
given  for  the  sin  of  the  soul,”  obtained  a wide 
currency  in  the  human  family.  Speedily  the 
character  of  the  Divinity  was  mistaken  for  that 
of  a demon;  and  in  the  conception  formed  by 
man  of  God,  a malevolent  thirsting  for  blood 
was  substituted  for  a love  of  holiness  seeking  to 
impress  on  the  intelligent  creation  the  dread  of 
sin  by  pointing  to  the  great  redemption  needed 

for  its  absolution.  Children  of  tender  age  be- 
148 


Infanticide 


came  the  most  manageable,  as  well  as  the  most 
precious  of  victims.  They  were  not  only  de- 
stroyed to  deprecate  and  avert  apprehended  evil, 
but  were  offered  up  as  the  price  and  purchase  of 
desired  good. 

“The  Phoenicians  and  Canaanites  made  their 
children  pass  through  the  fire  to  Moloch.  The 
Jews  who  entered  the  land  of  Canaan  were  fre- 
quently tempted  to  become  imitators  of  this  hor- 
rid iniquity.  Manasseh  actually  sacrificed  his 
son  to  Moloch  (2  Kings  xxi.  6).  Even  after  the 
good  King  Josiah  had  defiled  Tophet  in  order  to 
put  a stop  to  the  infantile  sacrifices  there  prac- 
ticed (2  Kings  xviii.  10),  the  crime  was  revived 
and  called  forth  the  solemn  denunciations  of  the 
prophet.  God  solemnly  warns  the  Jews  not  to 
give  their  seed  to  this  false  god  on  the  penalty 
of  death  (Lev.  xx.  1-5;  Deut.  xviii.  10-12).  The 
Carthaginians,  the  Greeks,  the  Romans,  and  the 
Persians,  in  some  form  or  other,  practiced  this 
sin.  Among  the  Israelites  alone  sacrificial  in- 
fanticide seems  to  have  been  absolutely  forbid- 
den. 

“Infanticide,  in  one  form  or  another,  has  pre- 
vailed not  among  barbarous  nations  alone,  but, 
generally  speaking,  all  over  the  heathen  world; 
and  so  far  was  it  from  being  prevented  by  the 
149 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

boasted  wisdom,  civilization  and  refinement  of 
Greece  and  Rome,  that  these  very  qualities  were 
employed  in  cherishing,  regulating  and  perpetu- 
ating the  crime.  The  conclusion  which  seems  to 
be  warranted  by  these  facts,  is  that  we  have 
little  security  against  infanticide,  or  any  other 
crime  against  nature,  where  Christianity  is  un- 
known. It  is  only  before  the  direct  or  indirect 
influence  of  the  Bible  that  infanticide  has  given 
way.  It  was  Christianity,  and  not  philosophy, 
that  first  lifted  up  its  voice  against  the  crime  of 
infanticide  as  practiced  by  the  Romans,  through 
Constantine.”  | 

With  this  review  of  the  subject,  by  Dr.  Wil- 
son, it  will  be  seen  that  this  crime  is  not  a spe- 
cial crime  of  the  Hindus.  When  considered 
from  certain  points  of  view,  India  is  a country 
where  you  would  least  expect  to  find  this  great 
wrong.  It  is  irreconcilable  with  their  tenets 
about  the  sacredness  of  life  and  the  doctrines  of 
the  transmigration  of  the  soul.  In  a country 
where  the  life  of  a beast  is  supposed  to  be  held 
sacred;  where  a high-caste  Hindu  used  to  shud- 
der at  the  thought  of  an  egg  being  broken  in  his 
presence;  and  who  used  to  go  out  of  his  way 

> Suppression  of  Infanticide  in  Western  India,  by  Dr.  Jno. 
Wilson. 


150 


Infanticide 


rather  than  pass  a butcher’s  stall  in  the  bazaar; 
how  did  so  inhuman  and  wicked  a custom  gain 
a footing  ? 

Some  have  tried  to  trace  the  origin  of  infanti- 
cide to  the  Mohammedan  invasion — that  scape- 
goat for  more  than  one  Indian  evil.  But  it  can 
be  clearly  proved  that  it  existed  centuries  before 
that  time.  The  custom  is  not  found  among  the 
Mohammedans.  A recent  writer  has  said:  “A 
Mohammedan  treats  whatever  is  given  him  by 
Providence,  son  or  daughter,  with  equal  feelings 
of  affection  and  regard;  and,  however  poor,  he 
will  never  think  of  depriving  them  of  life,  but 
would  rather  beg  alms  to  support  them.” 

Infanticide  has  existed  under  two  forms  in 
India: 

I.  The  dedication  of  children  to  the  Ganges 
to  be  devoured  by  crocodiles  and  sharks.  Soon 
after  William  Carey  came  to  India,  in  1794,  he 
discovered  this  crime,  and  the  discovery  weighed 
upon  the  heart  of  himself  and  fellow-workers  so 
constantly,  that  in  addition  to  continual  protests 
to  the  people,  steps  were  taken  to  call  the  atten- 
tion of  the  English  authorities  to  the  matter. 
Says  Smith:  “Since  1794,  when  Thomas  and  he 
found,  in  a basket  hanging  on  a tree,  the  bones  of 

an  infant  that  had  been  exposed  to  be  devoured 
151 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

by  the  white  ants,  by  some  mother  too  poor  to 
go  on  a pilgrimage  to  a sacred  river-spot,  Carey 
had  known  this  unnatural  horror.” 

There  was  a great  annual  festival  at  Ganga 
Sagar  (near  his  home).  The  supposed  virtues  of 
this  place  were  thought  to  arise  from  its  geo- 
graphical situation.  Ganga  is  the  word  for 
Ganges,  and  Sagar  for  sea;  and  as  at  this  par- 
ticular place  the  river  flowed  into  the  sea,  the 
confluence  was  held  to  be  a place  of  special 
sanctity.  Here  mothers  not  only  threw  their 
children  into  the  sea,  but  widows  and  even  men 
walked  into  the  sea  and  drowned  themselves, 
esteeming  it  a special  act  of  holiness,  and  secur- 
ing immediate  heaven. 

Carey  represented  the  matter  to  government 
and,  continues  Smith,  “the  result  of  Carey’s 
memorial  was  the  publication  of  the  Regulation 
for  preventing  the  sacrifice  of  children  at  Sagar 
and  other  places  on  the  Ganges,  saying:  “ It  has 

been  represented  to  the  Governor-General  in 
Council,  that  a criminal  and  inhuman  practice  of 
sacrificing  children  by  exposing  them  to  be 
drowned  or  devoured  by  sharks,  prevails.  . . . 

Children  thrown  into  the  sea  at  Sagar  have  not 
been  generally  rescued  . . . but  the  sacri- 

fice has  been  effected  with  circumstances  of  pe- 
152 


Infanticide 


culiar  atrocity  in  some  instances.  This  practice 
is  not  sanctioned  by  the  Hindu  law,  nor  counte- 
nanced by  the  religious  orders.”  It  was  accord- 
ingly declared  to  be  murder  and  punishable  by 
death.  This  was  in  the  rule  of  Lord  Wellesley. 
Sepoys  were  stationed  at  each  gathering  to  see 
the  law  observed.  Strange  to  say  the  people 
quietly  assented,  the  practice  soon  fell  into  disuse, 
and  this  special  form  of  infanticide  has  so  com- 
pletely disappeared  from  sight  that  it  is  often  de- 
nied that  it  ever  existed. 

One  of  the  Swamis  who  visited  America  pro- 
tested that  he  had  never  heard  of  such  a thing. 
It  is  no  doubt  thought  by  some  to  be  an  instance 
of  missionary  exaggeration.  The  French  lady 
Swami,  Abhayananda,  recently  said  in  this 
country  that  “ in  India  children  are  thrown  into 
the  Ganges  and  under  the  wheel  of  the  car  of 
Jagannath;  and  that  she  has  been  constantly 
asked  how  such  things  are  possible  in  the  land 
of  the  beautiful  Vedanta  philosophy.”  It  is  per- 
haps true  that  uninformed  people  at  home  think 
that  because  it  once  was  a custom,  that  it  still  ex- 
ists. But  missionaries  do  not  circulate  the 
“calumny”;  and  whenever  they  do  refer  to  it,  it 
is  to  give  thanks  that  the  gospel’s  influence  has 

caused  so  inhuman  a custom  to  cease. 

153 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

2.  Rajput  infanticide  as  it  has,  and  does  to 
some  extent  still  exist  in  India.  The  custom  of 
throwing  children  into  the  Ganges  had  in  it  the 
sacrificial  idea,  the  appeasing  of  Deity;  and  was, 
in  this  respect,  like  the  infanticide  of  the  Ca- 
naanites  and  other  peoples  from  a mistaken  idea 
of  God,  and  the  belief  that  they  were  doing  Him 
a pleasure  and  service;  and  also  to  purchase  bless- 
ings or  avert  evil  from  themselves  and  families. 
But  Rajput  infanticide  is  selfishness  pure  and 
simple.  It  is  a preference  for  murder,  rather 
than  to  run  the  risk  of  having  to  make  in- 
ferior alliances  for  their  daughters;  or  the  dis- 
grace of  their  remaining  single  should  they  not  be 
able  to  find  suitable  husbands  for  them;  or  to  es- 
cape providing  the  large  dowry  which  foolish 
and  extravagant  customs  have  fixed  and  de- 
manded. “And,”  says  a writer,  “the  practice 
of  infanticide  was  often  based  on  the  recommen- 
dation of  the  Suttee;  for  surely,  reasoned  the 
Rajputs,  we  may  destroy  a daughter  by  starva- 
tion, suffocation,  poison  or  neglect,  of  whose 
marriage  in  the  line  of  caste  and  dignity  of 
family  there  is  little  prospect,  if  a widow  may  be 
burned  to  save  her  chastity.” 

This  crime  has  been  the  besetting  sin  of  the 

Rajputs,  though  some  other  tribes  have  copied  it; 

154 


Infanticide 


and,  as  Dr.  Wilson  says:  “Had  it  not  been  for 
the  merciful  intervention  of  the  British  Govern- 
ment, there  is  no  saying  to  what  extent  it  might 
have  spread  through  all  the  provinces  of  India.” 

The  word  Rajput  literally  means  the  sons  of 
Rajas  and  princes.  They  trace  their  genealogy 
to  the  ancient  Solar  and  Lunar  dynasties  which 
ruled  in  India.  “A  poor  Rajput  holds  himself  as 
good  a gentleman  as  the  most  powerful  land- 
holder. Each  one  is  a free  citizen,  and  all  are 
peers."  There  is  a certain  dignity  and  pride  of 
manner  about  a Rajput;  no  matter  what  his  con- 
dition in  life  may  be.  But,  with  all  their  martial 
spirit,  their  notions  of  honor,  and  the  great  re- 
spect they  give  their  women,  who  are  said  to  be 
often  of  singular  beauty,  infanticide  and  the 
Suttee  rose  to  the  highest  pitch  among  them. 
Major  Murdo  writing  in  1818  mentions  that 
among  the  offspring  of  8,000  Rajputs  probably 
not  more  than  thirty  females  were  alive. 

For  this  barbarity  there  is  no  religious  sanction 
to  plead,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Suttee  ; nor  are  the 
Rajputs  inferior  to  the  other  races  in  India  in 
feelings  of  humanity;  but  it  is  the  laws  that 
regulate  marriage  among  them  that  have  so 
powerfully  promoted  infanticide.  No  clan  can 

marry  except  within  its  own  line;  and  the  fear  of 
155 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

dishonor  by  having  to  marry  a daughter  into  an 
inferior  clan,  or  that  she  should  remain  un- 
married, induces  her  parents  to  take  her  life  rather 
than  run  the  risk.  Besides,  the  foolish  extrava- 
gant marriage  customs  are  feared  and  dreaded, 
and  help  to  settle  the  fate  of  the  newborn  baby 
girl.  Her  death  is  affected  by  strangling  her  im- 
mediately; by  an  opium  pill  forced  into  the 
mouth  and  left  to  do  its  silent  work;  by  cover- 
ing the  mother’s  breast  with  a poison  which  is 
taken  in  by  the  child  in  its  first  draught  of  milk; 
or  by  neglect  and  starvation. 

The  Jarejas  of  Guzerat — a clan  of  Rajputs — 
give  as  the  origin  of  infanticide  the  following 
story:  “A  powerful  Raja  of  their  caste  had  a 

daughter  of  singular  beauty  and  accomplish- 
ments. He  sent  his  family  priest  to  search  for  a 
prince  of  equal  rank  and  wealth  as  a husband  for 
her.  Failing  to  find  such  an  one,  and  seeing  the 
Raja’s  sorrow,  he  advised  him  to  avoid  the  dis- 
grace of  having  her  remain  unmarried  by  putting 
her  to  death.  This  the  Raja  could  not  bring  him- 
self to  do;  but  the  priest  volunteered  to  assume 
all  the  consequences  of  the  sin,  and  he  put  her  to 
death." 

The  custom  first  came  to  the  knowledge  of  the 

British  Government  in  1789.  Jonathan  Duncan, 
156 


Infanticide 


of  the  Bengal  Civil  Service,  and  afterward  Gov- 
ernor of  Bombay,  while  residing  at  Benares,  dis- 
covered the  practice  of  infanticide  among  the 
Raj  kumars,  originally  denominated  Rajputs, 
who  were  the  most  influential  inhabitants  of  his 
district  and  supposed  to  be  about  forty  thousand 
in  number.  In  a few  months  he  succeeded  in 
putting  down  the  practice,  and  on  being  made 
Governor  of  Bombay  he  discovered  the  same 
practice  among  the  Rajputs  of  Kathiawar  and 
Kutch.  Here,  likewise,  he  spared  no  effort  for 
its  abolition.  The  Cathedral  of  St.  Thomas,  in 
Bombay,  the  first  Protestant  church  built  in  India, 
is  a very  fitting  place  for  a monument  covering 
the  grave  of  Jonathan  Duncan.  It  is  surmounted 
by  two  children  holding  a scroll  on  which  is  in- 
scribed, “Infanticide  abolished  in  Benares  and 
Kathiawar.”  But  this  suppression  was  only 
temporary,  especially  at  Benares,  where  it  broke 
out  with  fresh  power.  This  destruction  of  fe- 
males may  be  better  realized  if  we  state  the  fact 
that  among  the  Jarejas  of  Kutch  there  was,  in 
1846,  only  one  female  to  eight  males. 

Ever  since  the  days  of  Duncan  the  English 
Government  has  dealt  firmly  with  this  evil.  It 
has  met  with  tremendous  and  persistent  diffi- 
culties. Ten  years  after  government  began  its 
157 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

efforts  in  Guzerat,  only  sixty-three  girls  were 
known  to  have  been  saved.  The  names  of  some 
English  officials,  that  might  have  otherwise  been 
soon  forgotten,  will  always  be  remembered  for 
their  noble  and  persistent  efforts  to  suppress  this 
crime.  From  some  districts  the  custom  has  dis- 
appeared; in  others  the  proportion  of  girls  and 
boys  is  more  nearly  equal;  while  in  a few  the 
custom  is  apparently  as  rife  as  ever.  “The  only 
difference  lies  in  this,”  says  a recent  writer,  “ that, 
while  before  the  British  rule,  or  before  the  intro- 
duction of  the  Indian  Penal  Code,  the  offence  was 
perpetrated  either  openly,  or  without  recourse  to 
much  skill  and  ingenuity  to  conceal  it;  it  is  now, 
through  fear  of  the  law  and  punishment,  com- 
mitted with  the  utmost  secrecy,  and  with  such 
cleverness  as  to  avoid  all  possible  chance  of 
detection.” 

It  would  require  a separate  volume  to  give  an 
adequate  idea  of  the  efforts  and  expedients  gov- 
ernment has  adopted  to  suppress  the  crime,  and 
of  the  obstacles  that  have  frustrated  their  efforts; 
of  their  entreaties  with  the  chiefs  of  the  clans  and 
the  rulers  of  the  native  states  to  abolish  the  crime 
among  them,  and  through  them  to  create  a public 
opinion  against  it;  of  the  attempts  to  get  the 

leaders  of  the  people  to  fix  the  maximum  of  mar- 
158 


Infanticide 


riage  expenses,  (which  is  one  of  the  greatest  in- 
centives to  the  crime),  or  to  excommunicate 
those  who  practice  it.  Much  has  been  accom- 
plished, but  it  has  taken  hundreds  of  years  to 
bring  it  about;  and  much  yet  remains  to  be  done. 

In  1890,  an  Infanticide  Act  (Act  Vlll.)  was 
passed  that  required  for  its  workings  special 
police  surveillance  of  the  suspected  villages;  that 
is,  villages  where  the  census  returns  showed  a 
vast  disproportion  between  boys  and  girls  of  the 
same  age.  For  instance,  in  one  tribe,  eighty 
boys  under  twelve  years  of  age  were  found  and 
only  eight  girls;  and  in  one  district  one  hundred 
boys  to  eighty-seven  girls.  One  great  cause  of 
failure  in  bringing  the  offence  home  to  the  perpe- 
trators is  the  combination  or  union  of  all  the  vil- 
lagers to  conceal  the  crime.  It  baffles  detection 
because  of  their  sympathy  with  the  perpetrators 
of  the  crime  who,  most  presumably,  are  fully 
known  to  them. 

The  writer  quoted  above  tells  the  story  of  a 
native  Deputy  Inspector  of  Police  who  was  asked 
if  he  had  any  children,  and  replied:  “Yes,  I had 
the  misfortune  to  have  two  daughters,  but  I have 
dispatched  both  of  them.  May  God  now  bless 
me  with  a son!”  In  one  district,  a few  years 

ago,  several  hundred  children  were  returned  as 
159 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

having  been  carried  off  by  the  wolves — all  of 
u'hom  were  girls!  We  know  of  a Rajput  woman 
who  told  a friend  of  ours  that  eight  girls  had 
been  put  out  of  the  way  in  her  family. 

We  trust  that  not  many  years  will  elapse  before 
infanticide,  like  the  Suttee,  will  be  a thing  of  the 
past. 


160 


XI 


A CHAPTER  OF  INDIAN  TESTIMONY 

Europeans,  and  especially  missionaries,  are 
often  accused  of  making  erroneous  and  exag- 
gerated statements  about  India  and  India’s  peo- 
ple, particularly  about  the  condition  of  women. 
We  do  not  resent  the  charge.  Perhaps  some  do, 
for  as  the  Indian  Witness  says,  “Missionaries 
may  sometimes  err  in  describing  particular  cases 
as  typical  of  the  whole,  and,  being  human,  may 
even  exaggerate.  But  it  is  hardly  possible  to 
portray  the  sad  condition  of  Indian  women,  gen- 
erally, in  too  sombre  colors.  Indians  themselves 
are  our  most  reliable  authority  as  to  the  woes 
they  suffer,  and  the  disadvantages  under  which 
they  labor.”  For  this  reason  we  have  taken 
special  pains,  with  few  exceptions,  to  quote  In- 
dian authorities  in  these  pages. 

We  believe  some  of  our  Indian  friends  deny 
statements  out  of  ignorance  of  facts.  They  have 
been  happily  circumstanced  themselves,  and  have 
not  come  into  close  personal  contact  with  much 
of  the  suffering  of  which  we  write,  and  hence 

are  unwilling  to  believe  it  exists.  Ram.abai  has 
161 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

told  us  that  up  to  the  time  she  was  sixteen  or 
seventeen  years  of  age,  although  she  had  visited 
almost  every  sacred  shrine  in  India,  in  company 
with  her  parents,  and  afterward  with  her  brother, 
she  was  so  shielded  that  she  knew  nothing  of  the 
evils  that  existed  in  these  places  till  long  after- 
ward. 

Miss  Thoburn  says:  “The  late  Mrs.  Anandibai 
Joshi,  who  studied  medicine  in  America,  was  un- 
willing to  admit  that  child  marriage  was  an  evil. 
Her  own  marriage  at  nine  had  been  to  a relative, 
her  teacher  and  best  friend;  and  with  this  ex- 
perience, and  the  traditions  of  her  people,  she 
had  been  unconscious  of  the  suffering  of  others. 
She  would  have  changed  her  mind,  had  she  lived 
to  practice  her  profession  in  India.” 

Then  people  may  live  so  exclusive  a life  in 
their  own  caste,  as  to  be  ignorant  of  the  customs 
and  practices  of  other  castes.  We  believe  that 
this  to  some  degree,  accounts  for  the  different 
statements  made  to  travellers.  The  traveller  ar- 
gues thus:  “Nowhere  is  a sensible  Hindu.  If 
he  does  not  know  about  his  own  people,  who 
should  know  In  our  investigations  about  the 
muralis,  we  asked  questions  of  many  Hindu 
friends,  only  to  find  some  knew  nothing  about 

it,  and  though  others  knew  there  was  such  a 
162 


A Chapter  of  Indian  Testimony 

custom,  yet  they  had  never  paid  attention  to  it 
and  could  give  no  information. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  is  sometimes  an  un- 
willingness on  the  part  of  some  to  admit  the  real 
facts.  Mr.  Malabari  in  speaking  about  India  re- 
forming herself  says:  “And  what  is  the  present 
phase  of  Indian  patriotism  in  this  connection  ? 
Whenever  a defect  is  pointed  out,  the  first  im- 
pulse of  our  average  patriot  is  to  justify  and  con- 
ceal. How  can  he  be  a witness  to  a cause,  when 
he  is  anxious  to  hide  the  truth  of  it  from  the 
world’s  gaze  ? The  only  way  to  reach  perfection 
is  by  getting  rid  of  imperfections  at  any  cost.” 

In  view  of  what  is  often  said  against  European 
writers  and  speakers,  it  has  seemed  best  to  have 
a chapter  of  Indian  testimony  concerning  these 
wrongs,  and  thus  set  forth  the  opinions  our 
friends  themselves  hold  concerning  the  evils  in 
question. 

Take  first  the  matter  of  custom : Dr.  R.  G. 
Bhandarkar,  C.  1.  E.,  Vice  Chancellor  of  the 
Bombay  University,  in  an  address  delivered  in 
1894,  said  “Custom  is  a god  whom  our  race  de- 
voutly worships,  and  religious  sanction  was  ac- 
corded to  these  practices'by  the  insertion  of  later 
texts  in  the  later  books.  . . . The  question 

now  is,  whether  with  our  minds  liberalized  by 
163 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

English  education  and  contact  with  European 
civilization,  we  shall  continue  to  worship  custom 
and  be  its  slaves,  and  allow  our  moral  sentiments 
to  remain  dead,  and  our  unjust  and  cruel  prac- 
tices to  flourish.  If  an  education  does  not  lead 
us  to  protest  against  them,  that  education  must 
be  considered  to  be  merely  superficial.  . . . 

Custom  has  been  and  is  an  authority;  custom  is 
our  religion.” 

The  Indian  Social  Reformer  declared,  about 
the  same  time,  that  “It  is  futile  to  suppose  that 
India  can  herself  heal  her  ills,  if  only  more  light 
is  given  her.  The  history  of  Social  Reform  for 
the  last  twenty-five  years  attests  to  this.  Re- 
formers have  published  the  injunctions  of  the 
sJiastras  on  the  subject  of  the  disfigurement  of 
the  widow.  They  have  shown  that  the  custom 
has  not  the  sanction  of  the  shastras.  But  all  the 
same,  the  Hindu  community  is  heedless  of  their 
words.  Is  it  not  foolish  to  expect  that  a com- 
munity like  ours  can  be  reasoned  into  wisdom 
and  common  sense?  The  community  has  lost 
the  motive  power  to  initiate,  or  welcome  any 
wholesome  reform.” 

Mr.  B.  N.  Das,  an  Indian  lawyer  of  high  re- 
pute, writing  to  the  Lucknow  Advocate  says: 

“ We  are  living  in  a stormy  epoch.  We  want  a 
164 


A Chapter  of  Indian  Testimony 

stormy  patriotism,  a patriotism  independent  and 
uncompromising,  reckless  of  consequences,  and 
ready  to  do  battle  with  every  social  ill.  The  cup 
of  political  evils  is  full,  the  burden  of  social  in- 
iquities has  become  so  intolerable,  and  the  tyranny 
of  custom  stands  out  so  red  and  foul,  that  a mil- 
itant uprising  of  the  better  spirit  in  men  against 
them  has  become  one  of  the  essential  conditions 
of  national  salvation.” 

The  editor  of  the  Bengalee,  commenting  on  a 
letter  of  Max  Muller’s,  says: 

“ Prof.  Max  Muller  writes  a letter  to  the  Times, 
in  which  he  eloquently  pleads  for  the  child-wid- 
ows of  India.  Theirs  indeed  is  a pitiable  lot,  and 
should  move  the  hearts  of  all  good  men  and  true. 
He  very  properly  points  out,  that  it  is  a part  of 
the  existing  Hindu  law,  that  child-widows  should 
be  consigned  to  this  life  of  misery;  and  that  the 
law  should  be  changed.  The  manners  of  men 
changed  with  the  times,  and  laws  should  change 
with  manners  and  modes  of  thought.  This  is  so 
obvious  and  elementary  a principle,  that  we  won- 
der our  countrymen  do  not  see  it,  or  seeing  it,  do 
not  act  upon  it.  Laws  which  are  antiquated  and 
behind  the  manners  of  the  age  must  impede  the 
march  of  society.  Laws  should  not  be  modified, 

or  changed  too  soon;  but  it  is  a fatal  mistake  to 
165 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

refuse  to  change  them,  when  the  necessity  for 
such  change  has  become  apparent.  We  have 
been  committing  this  mistake  for  centuries  to- 
gether. We  have  allowed  ourselves  to  be  guided 
by  ironclad  rules,  some  of  which  are  wholly  un- 
suited to  the  circumstances  of  the  times,  and  to 
our  present  environments,  and  we  have  become 
slaves  of  customs  which  have  tyrannized  over  us 
with  a rigor  surpassing  the  rigor  of  the  most 
despotic  Governments  in  the  world,  /the  worst 
form  of  slavery  is  that  in  which  the  slave  hugs 
his  chains  and  does  not  realize  his  true  conditior^ 
We  are  afraid  we  have  become  the  bondsmen  of 
our  own  creation,  victims  in  many  cases  of  in- 
stitutions, which  the  great  legislators  of  the  past, 
the  illustrious  founders  of  the  Hindu  system, 
would,  if  they  were  now  living,  declare  to  be 
wholly  unsuited  to  the  circumstances  of  the  pres- 
ent day.  The  institution  of  enforced  widow- 
hood, and  the  prohibition  to  sea  voyage  are  cases 
in  point.” 

At  a meeting  of  the  Madras  Social  Reform  As- 
sociation in  1894,  one  of  the  speakers,  Mr.  B. 
Varada  Charlu,  said,  “Custom  in  Hindu  Society 
is  the  autocrat  of  all  autocrats,  and  will  tolerate 
not  the  least  sign  of  a spirit  of  inquiry.  Surely 

a religion  which  has  been  allowed  to  so  far  de- 
les 


A Chapter  of  Indian  Testimony 

generate  as  to  give  every  prominence  to  mere 
externalities  without  any  reference  to  the  inner 
life  of  its  votaries,  must  either  mend  or  end  very 
soon.  It  is  poor  consolation  to  be  told  that  our 
present  social  customs  had  a religious  significance 
in  the  past,  and  should,  for  that  reason,  if  for  no 
other,  be  preserved  intact  for  future  generations 
to  unravel  the  forgotten  mysteries  and  infuse 
fresh  life  into  them.  "^By  all  means,  if  one  is  so 
inclined,  let  him  preserve  old  customs  where  they 
are  of  an  inocuous  or  indifferent  character,  but 
certainly  let  him  not,  at  this  fag  end  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  deny  the  right  of  the  individual, 
even  though  he  be  a Hindu,  to  act  according  to 
the  dictates  of  his  conscience  and  of  his  reason; 
especially  when  those  customs  are  unsuited  to 
present  circumstances  and  pernicious  in  their  ef- 
fects on  society.”/ 

We  present,  also,  a few  testimonies  on  the 
matter  of  Enforced  Widowhood. 

A recent  correspondent  of  the  Indian  Social  Re- 
former, writes  on  the  subject  of  enforced  wid- 
owhood, as  follows:  “ In  the  days  of  my  early 

childhood,”  writes  a friend  from  the  mofussil, 
" in  those  days  when  the  mind  can  hardly  pene- 
trate through  the  thick  folds  of  mystery  which 

shroud  half  the  things  of  the  world,  my  simple 
167 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

mind  was  drawn  to  the  subject  of  the  Hindu 
widow.  Her  melancholy  attire,  her  disfigured 
head,  her  careworn  appearance,  the  rude  way 
in  which  she  is  handled  by  our  society,  all  these 
created  in  me  the  impression  that  the  widow 
somehow  belonged  not  to  the  ranks  of  the  two 
recognized  sexes,  that  possibly  she  might  be  a 
being  of  a third  sex,  or  else  a member  of  a 
totally  different  species  of  the  animal  world! 
Nearly  twenty-five  years  have  elapsed  since  that 
crude  notion  entered  my  brain,  and  yet  not  all 
the  education  and  experience  1 have  gained  has 
totally  erased  that  belief  of  mine,  though  they 
have  considerably  modified  it,  as  they  do  so 
many  of  our  childish  vagaries  and  crudities. 
Verily  the  Hindu  widow  belongs  to  a separate 
sex,  a different  order  of  living  beings!  Widow- 
hood anywhere  is  tormenting  enough;  and  in  this 
glorious  land  of  Arvavarth,  custom  adds  insult  to 
injury.” 

Another  Indian  writer  testifies  thus:  “At  the 
recent  Akola  Sessions,  the  judge  passed  a sentence 
of  transportation  for  life  on  one,  Tani,  for  having 
killed  her  infant  child.  ...  It  was  the  usual 
tale  of  a Hindu  child-widow.  . . . Says  the 

Judge:  “The  accused  was  a Brahman  widow 

whose  husband  died  when  she  was  still  a child. 

168 


A Chapter  of  Indian  Testimony 

The  crime  she  committed  was  that  of  a desperate 
woman  bent  on  hiding  her  shame,  and  with  the 
loss  of  caste  staring  her  in  the  face.  Such  crimes, 
although  they  must  be  severely  punished,  are  to 
some  extent  venial,  and  I shall  move  the  Local 
Government  to  commute  the  sentence  to  one  of 
six  years’  rigorous  imprisonment.”^  Many  have 
bewailed  the  fate  of  the  Hindu  widow  and  have 
noted  case  after  case  in  which  the  unfortunate 
creatures  are,  for  mere  shame,  compelled  to  com- 
mit serious  crimes.  The  Hindu  widow  has  by 
mere  perversity,  blindfoldedness  of  those  most 
concerned,  been  long  a suffering,  though  unwilling 
victim  at  the  sacrifice  of  inexorable  and  inhuman 
customs.  Now  and  then  comes  to  light  a serious 
case  like  the  present;  but  how  many  more  may 
be  occurring  which  are  never  brought  to  public 
notice!  These  occasional  cases,  however,  hardly 
excite  public  opinion,  and  the  stolid,  indifferent 
communities  again  relapse  into  their  usual  drowsi- 
ness. Educated  India,  at  any  rate,  was  expected 
to  come  to  the  rescue,  and  give  a new  direction 
to  the  trend  of  public  opinion;  but  the  hope  has 
never  been  realized.  The  educated  man  of  the 
present  day  is  a person  entirely  without  a back- 
bone, not  only  in  this,  but  in  all  other  depart- 
ments of  public  activities.  Persons  speaking 
169 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

from  Congress  platforms,  and  loudly  demanding 
rights  and  privileges  from  government,  might 
certainly  direct  their  attention  with  greater  effect 
to  matters  social.  To  rectify  social  evils  one’s 
own  moral  courage  is  a necessary  ingredient  and 
no  extraneous  help  is  necessary  as  in  political 
matters;  but  politics  means  very  little  sacrifice 
to  very  many,  while  social  problems  involve  real 
self-sacrifice  and  personal  suffering  by  loss  of 
caste  and  excommunication." 

Mr.  K.  Subba  Rao,  in  a lecture  on  the  remar- 
riage of  child-widows,  made  this  statement: 

“The  widow’s  presence  is,  on  certain  occa- 
sions, regarded  as  inauspicious.  There  are  even 
yet,  in  the  year  of  grace,  1895,  educated  and  un- 
educated men  by  hundreds  and  thousands  who, 
while  starting  from  their  homes  bent  upon 
achieving  some  cherished  end,  pass  a few  steps 
and  suddenly  retrace  their  steps,  as  if  stung  by 
some  venomous  reptile,  because  they  see  a widow 
coming  in  front  of  them.  Some  of  them  even 
contend  that,  in  their  everyday  experience,  the 
ominous  presentment  which  the  presence  of  the 
widow  suggested  to  them,  was  verified  by  sub- 
sequent occurrences  in  the  course  of  the  day. 
While  it  is  not  within  my  province  to  offer  ex- 
planations for  all  the  chapter  of  inexplicable  ac- 
170 


A Chapter  of  Indian  Testimony 

cidents,  what  I wish  to  impress  upon  your 
minds  is  the  existence  of  this  deep-seated  preju- 
dice, the  widely  prevalent  belief  that  the  presence 
of  a widow  forebodes  evil  or  failure.  This  belief 
is  transmitted  from  generation  to  generation,  and 
1 am  not  sure  that  even  the  most  polished  and 
cultured  among  us  have  been  always  free  from 
it.  This  is  a living  evidence  of  the  centuries  that 
have  elapsed  since  the  degradation  of  women  be- 
gan in  this  country.  Sometimes  the  most  affec- 
tionate of  sons  and  brothers  have  had  the  sor- 
rowful duty  of  imploring  their  widowed  mothers 
and  sisters  to  be  careful  of  their  movements  on 
festive  occasions  like  marriage,  when  bad  and 
good  omens  play  an  important  part.” 

The  Poonah  Sudharak,  speaking  of  the  famine 
says:  “Nature  would  be  herself  again,  and  the 
unfortunate  people  who  have  suffered  severe  losses 
would  soon  be  reconciled  to  their  lot.  There 
would  still  be  a very  considerable  number  of 
miserable  beings  who  will  not  forget  their  mis- 
fortunes because  the  society  to  which  they  be- 
long will  not  allow  them  to  do  so.  The  helpless 
Hindu  child-widow,  whose  lot  is  dark  misery, 
pure  and  simple,  unmixed  with  the  slightest  ray 
of  hope  or  escape,  will  continue  to  mope  and  shed 

tears  of  bitter  sorrow.  The  number  of  these 
171 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

poor  victims  to  the  bigotry  of  their  community 
is  always  large,  but  this  year  it  will  be  three  or 
four  times  as  large  at  the  smallest.  Let  the 
Hindu  community  move,  if  it  can  move  at  all, 
and  do  something  for  the  amelioration  of  their 
own  sisters  and  daughters.  Let  them  show  at 
least  that  they  are  alive  to  the  fact  that  the  poor 
sufferers  are  their  own  flesh  and  blood.  . . . 

We  wrote  a series  of  articles  in  our  Vernacular 
columns,  on  the  desirability  of  approaching  gov- 
ernment with  a view  to  amend  the  existing  penal 
law,  so  as  to  make  the  disfigurement  of  Hindu 
widows  under  the  age  of  twenty-one  punisha- 
ble.” 

We  turn  now  to  the  nautch-girl,  and  on  this 
point  a couple  of  testimonies  must  suffice.  Dr. 
Bhandarkar  said,  a few  years  ago,  in  a public  ad- 
dress: “I  have  always  been  of  the  opinion  that 
he  who  patronizes  dancing-girls  does  not  suffi- 
ciently hate  the  immoral  life  which  they  professr 
edly  lead,  or  value  as  highly  as  he  ought  to  do, 
female  purity,  which  is  the  soil  on  which  the  no- 
ble qualities  of  women  grow.  The  institution 
of  Nautch  cannot  but  have  a debasing  effect  on 
the  morality  of  men  and  women.  1 shall  not, 
without  strong  proof  believe  in  a man’s  being  a 

faithful  husband  if  he  takes  delight  in  giving 
172 


A Chapter  of  Indian  Testimony 

Nautch  parties  and  attending  them.  To  have  a 
nautch  at  one’s  own  house  is  to  give  an  object 
lesson  in  immorality  to  the  boys  and  girls  in  the 
family;  and  especially  to  the  former.  As  long 
as  the  Naiitch  is  fashionable  among  us,  and  is 
freely  indulged  in,  it  is  impossible  that  the  mo- 
rality of  our  men  should  greatly  improve,  or  that 
our  respect  for  women  should  increase;  and  in  a 
country  in  which  women  are  trampled  upon, 
there  can  be  no  great  advantage  in  social  and 
moral  matters.” 

The  Indian  Social  Reformer  of  June  9th,  1894, 
asks  very  pertinently:  “What  has  a prostitute 
to  do  in  a marriage  ceremony  ? How  does  her 
presence  add  grace  or  sanctity  to  such  occasion  ? 
A virgin-widow,  pure  as  snow  and  innocent  as 
the  dove,  is  an  unwelcome  guest  to  a marriage 
pandal.  But  a shameless  prostitute  who  has 
sold  her  all,  must  tie  the  mangala  sutra  round 
the  neck  of  the  bride.  What  monstrous  incon- 
sistency! What  degraded  notions  of  immorality! 
Has  Annie  Besant  or  Vivekananda  naught  to  say 
to  this.^  We  say  that  the  dancing-girl  and  the 
child-widow  are  the  two  great  blots  on  our  so- 
cial system  and  our  Hinduism.” 

On  the  question  of  Child  Marriage  Mr.  Mun- 

mohan  Ghose  says:  “I  look  upon  the  system  of 
173 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

child  marriage  as  the  greatest  curse  of  our  coun- 
try.” And  Mr.  S.  N.  Tagore  adds:  “It  is  a 
canker  that  eats  into  the  vitals  of  our  national 
existence,  and  which,  if  not  removed  in  time, 
may  lead  to  the  degeneracy  and  decay  of  the 
whole  race.” 

Sir  T.  Madhaw  Rao  says:  “ And  I also  am  of 
the  opinion  that  such  limit  should  be  fixed. 
Even  if  it  is  fixed  at  ten,  it  will  do  considerable 
good.  It  may  be  fixed  at  fourteen  or  fifteen  for 
non-Brahmans.” 

Mr.  B.  M.  Malabari  writes  as  follows:  “A 
Madras  native  paper  reports  a marriage  in  which 
the  bride  is  as  old  as  from  seven  to  eight  years, 
and  the  bridegroom  only  sixty  years  old!  Well 
may  the  reporter  ask  if  such  a marriage  is  not 
worse  than  slavery  for  the  child-wife.  A Madras 
friend  told  me  last  year  of  a marriage  in  which 
the  bride  was  eighteen  months,  and  the  bride- 
groom about  twenty-two  years.  Are  such  mar- 
riages heard  or  dreamed  of  in  any  other  part  of 
the  world.?  So  much  for  our  progress.” 

Surely  these  brief  but  clear  and  pointed  testimo- 
nies from  members  of  the  Hindu  race,  will  show 
that  we  have  not  in  any  way  overstated  the 
matters  with  which  we  are  dealing,  but  have 

rather  understated  the  facts  than  otherwise. 

174 


XII 


THE  POSITION  OF  GOVERNMENT 

A NATIVE  once  said  “that  the  British  rule  was 
good  in  every  way,  only  that  we  cannot  treat  our 
wives  as  we  used  to.”  We  wish  to  consider  just 
how  far  this  is  true,  and  just  what  the  govern- 
ment has  done  for  the  amelioration  of  the  con- 
dition of  women. 

The  old  East  India  Company  was  incorporated 
by  Queen  Elizabeth,  December  31st,  1600,  just  as 
the  sixteenth  century  passed  away.  Up  to  1773, 
the  government  of  Calcutta,  Madras  and  Bombay 
had  been  that  of  Independent  Presidencies.  In 
1773  the  Regulating  Act  was  adopted,  the  three 
presidencies  were  united  under  one  government, 
and  a Governor-General  was  appointed  for  all 
India,  with  a Supreme  Council  and  a Court  of 
Judicature.  Warren  Hastings  was  the  first  Gov- 
ernor-General. 

In  1781  another  Act  of  Parliament  was  passed 
which  authorized  the  Governor-General  and  the 
Council  of  Bengal  to  make  regulations  which 
should  have  the  force  of  law.  The  policy  of  the 

East  India  Company  was  to  leave  the  people  un- 
175 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

disturbed  in  the  exercise  of  their  religious,  do- 
mestic and  social  customs.  Hindus  were  judged 
by  Hindu  law  framed  from  their  sacred  books, 
and  Mohammedans  by  Mohammedan  law  derived 
from  the  Koran.  But  in  all  other  matters,  such 
as  contracts,  civil  wrongs,  crimes  or  “ wherever 
any  question  arose  which  affected  the  followers 
of  all  religions  alike,  it  was  necessary  to  have  a 
common  code  to  which  there  could  be  an  equal 
appeal  from  all  parties.”  In  1781  government 
began  to  give  attention  to  this,  and  in  1834  Lord 
Macaulay  was  sent  out  to  India,  in  the  days  of 
Lord  Bentinck,  as  a legal  member  of  the  Gov- 
ernor-General’s Council,  to  prepare  a penal  code 
for  the  use  of  the  government  of  India. 

During  the  rule  of  Lord  Canning,  came  the 
Indian  mutiny  in  1857.  This  was  the  deathblow 
of  the-old  East  India  Company  and  the  birth  of 
the  new  empire.  The  story  of  the  mutiny  roused 
the  whole  British  nation,  and  in  July,  1858,  the 
government  of  India  was  transferred  from  the 
East  India  Company  to  the  Crown.  In  November, 
1858,  a proclamation  in  all  the  different  Indian 
languages  was  issued,  declaring  that  Her  Majesty 
had  assumed  the  direct  government  of  her  Eastern 
Empire.  The  Governor-General  ceased  to  rule  in 

the  name  of  the  East  India  Company,  and  became 
176 


The  Position  of  Government 


the  Viceroy  of  India.  This  proclamation  was 
read  publicly  in  every  station,  civil  and  military, 
with  every  accompaniment  of  ceremonial 
splendor,  and  was  received  by  all  classes  through- 
out India  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm.  Among 
other  things  promised,  were  the  following: 

“ We  hold  ourselves  bound  to  the  natives  of  our  Indian  ter- 
ritories by  the  same  obligations  of  duty  which  bind  us  to  all 
other  subjects ; and  those  obligations,  by  the  blessing  of  Almighty 
God,  we  shall  faithfully  and  conscientiously  fulfill. 

“ Firmly  relying  ourselves  on  the  truth  of  Christianity,  and 
acknowledging  with  gratitude  the  solace  of  religion,  we  disclaim 
alike  the  right  and  the  desire  to  impose  our  convictions  on  any 
of  our  subjects.  We  declare  it  to  be  our  Royal  will  and  pleasure 
that  none  be  in  anywise  favored,  none  molested  or  disquieted, 
by  reason  of  their  religious  faith  or  observances ; but  that  all 
shall  alike  enjoy  the  equal  and  impartial  protection  of  the  law ; 
and  we  do  strictly  charge  and  enjoin  all  those  who  may  be  in 
authority  under  us,  that  they  abstain  from  all  interference  with 
the  religious  belief  or  worship  of  any  of  our  subjects,  on  pain  of 
our  highest  displeasure. 

“When,  by  the  blessing  of  Providence,  internal  tranquillity 
shall  be  restored,  it  is  our  earnest  desire  to  stimulate  the  peace- 
ful industry  of  India,  to  promote  works  of  public  utility  and  im- 
provement, and  to  administer  its  government  for  the  benefit  of 
all  our  subjects  resident  therein.  In  their  prosperity  will  be  our 
strength,  in  their  contentment  our  security,  and  in  their  gratitude 
our  best  reward.  And  may  the  God  of  all  power  grant  unto  us 
strength  to  carry  out  these  our  wishes  for  the  good  of  our 
people.” 

This  proclamation  has  been  called  the  Magna 

Charta  of  the  Indian  people.  Nineteen  years 

177 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

later,  January  ist,  1877,  Queen  Victoria,  with 
great  pomp,  and  certainly  it  can  be  said  in  these 
modern  days,  with  unparalleled  splendor,  was 
proclaimed  Empress  of  India.  The  brilliant  Im- 
perial Assemblage  at  Delhi  was  repeated  with 
greater  or  less  ceremony  in  every  civil  and  mili- 
tary station  in  India.  Sixteen  thousand  prisoners 
were  set  free,  and  public  works  were  inaugurated 
by  the  benevolent  in  memory  of  the  day.  And 
this  celebration  was  understood  to  be  a renewal 
of  the  proclamation  and  promise  of  non-interfer- 
ence with  the  religious  and  social  customs  of  the 
people  that  was  made  in  1858,  when  the  Crown 
for  the  first  time  took  over  India  from  the  East 
India  Company. 

“Since  i860,  the  Legislative  Council  of  India 
has  from  time  to  time  enacted  many  wise  laws, 
as  necessity  has  seemed  to  call  for  them;  and  re- 
cently, it  has  been  said  by  Sir  Henry  Maine,  that 
‘ British  India  is  in  possession  of  a set  of  codes 
which  approach  the  highest  standard  of  excel- 
lence which  this  species  of  legislation  has  reached. 
In  form,  intelligibility,  and  comprehensiveness, 
the  Indian  code  stands  against  all  competition.’”* 
The  proclamation  of  1858  was  but  the  reitera- 
tion of  the  pledges  made  to  the  people  by  the 

• India  and  Malaysia,  by  Bishop  Thoburn. 

178 


The  Position  of  Government 

East  India  Company,  vv^hose  “firmest  article  of 
faith  was  that  all  the  customs  of  the  natives 
should  be  scrupulously  respected,  and  that  noth- 
ing should  be  done  to  give  umbrage  to  their  reli- 
gious prejudices.”  This  policy  has  been  consis- 
tently adhered  to  throughout  the  rule  of  the 
English  in  India.  The  only  departures  made  from 
it,  says  a writer,  “have  been  taken  under  some 
paramount  sense  that  an  outrage  not  sanctioned 
by  God,  and  disapproved  of  by  the  higher  con- 
science of  the  Indians  themselves,  was  being  per- 
petrated, shocking  to  the  human  mind  and 
amounting  to  a scandal  on  our  legislation.  . . . 

But  respect  and  protection  for  the  special  reli- 
gion of  the  Hindus  cannot  and  must  not  allow 
us  to  be  blind  to  acts  which  are  in  contravention 
of  all  religion,  and  opposed  to  the  most  clearly 
established  rights  of  humanity.  No  religion  can 
justify  the  sacrifice  of  innocent  persons.  A civ- 
ilized government  is  bound  to  protect  them  or 
lose  its  reputation. 

It  is  this  pledge  to  the  people,  reiterated  in  the 
proclamation  of  1858,  and  freshly  emphasized  in 
the  proceedings  of  January,  1877,  that,  as  is  pop- 
ularly believed,  ties  the  hands  of  government 
when  justice  and  humanity  clamor  for  action  on 

the  behalf  of  women.  And  it  is  also  the  cry  of 
179 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

the  orthodox  and  opposing  elements  amongst  the 
Hindus  against  legislative  interference. 

Says  Sir  W.  W.  Hunter:  “When  the  English 
assumed  the  government  of  India,  they  gave 
emphatic  pledges  that  they  would  leave  the  reli- 
gious and  domestic  customs  of  the  people  undis- 
turbed. By  degrees  they  found  out  that  there 
were  three  very  terrible  customs  affecting  Hindu 
women.  First,  that  as  all  women  ought,  accord- 
ing to  the  religious  law  of  the  Hindus,  to  be 
married;  and  as  an  unmarried  daughter  is  con- 
sidered a disgrace  to  a family,  child  marriage 
u'as  universal  among  the  higher  castes  in  order  to 
avoid  the  possible  disgrace  and  to  secure  the  ful- 
fillment of  the  law.  Second,  that  as  in  certain 
castes  it  was  difficult  to  find  husbands  of  equal 
rank  for  all  the  daughters,  and  to  defray  the  ex- 
travagant cost  of  the  wedding  ceremonies,  female 
infanticide  u'as  common.  Third,  that  amongst 
the  highest  castes  the  cruel  rite  of  burning  wid- 
on's  on  their  husband’s  funeral  pile  prevailed; 
and  that  a widow  who  did  not  burn  herself 
thus  was  condemned  to  lifelong  celibacy  and 
penance. 

As  the  English  rulers  realized  the  inhumanity 
of  the  domestic  system  which  they  had  under- 
taken to  perpetuate,  the  more  conscientious  of 
180 


The  Position  of  Government 

them  were  pricked  to  the  heart.  On  the  one 
hand,  their  pledges  not  to  interfere  had  been 
solemn  and  explicit.  On  the  other  hand,  they 
found  themselves  compelled  to  be  the  daily  ac- 
complices of  acts  of  abominable  cruelty,  and  to  rec- 
ognize by  law  the  organized  murder  of  the  two 
most  helpless  classes  of  their  subjects.  The 
widow  and  the  infant,  whose  defenseless  condi- 
tion made  them  in  a special  manner  the  wards  of 
the  State,  were  precisely  the  persons  to  whom 
the  State  refused  protection. 

For  three-quarters  of  a century  after  Bengal 
had  legally  passed  under  English  administration, 
the  new  rulers  felt  their  hands  tied  by  the  pledges 
which  they  had  given.  But  during  that  period 
a maxim  of  interpretation  in  regard  to  those 
pledges  had  been  acquiring  precision  and  force. 
It  was  at  length  admitted  that  the  British  gov- 
ernment could  maintain  the  customary  and  reli- 
gious law,  only  so  far  as  that  law  did  not  con- 
flict with  its  higher  duty  to  protect  the  lives  of  its 
subjects." 

Has  it  been  an  accident  that  the  sovereign  who 
is  at  the  head  of  this  great  empire  should  be  a 
woman;  and  that  that  woman  should  be  one  of 
the  noblest  and  best  women  that  the  century  has 

produced;  as  if  Providence  had  decreed  that  the 
181 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

people  of  India  should  have  a living,  standing 
protest  against  their  treatment  of  \vomen  in  the 
person  of  their  sovereign  ? In  India,  according 
to  the  census  of  1891,  there  is  a population  of 
over  287,000,000  under  her  rule;  of  which  over 
140,000,000  are  women  ; more  than  twice  as 
many  women  as  are  in  all  Great  Britain  and 
America  taken  together.  This  large  number  is 
composed  of  Christians,  Mohammedans,  Jains, 
Parsees,  Hindus,  Buddhists  and  Aborigines;  but 
the  larger  proportion  of  them  are  Hindus. 

Among  these  women  we  find,  by  the  same 
census,  nearly  23,000,000  widows.  Eliminating 
widows  of  other  religions,  aged  widows,  wid- 
ows with  families,  and  widows  of  all  but  the 
two  higher  castes.  Sir  W.  W.  Hunter  said,  in 
1886,  “ Broadly  speaking,  I believe  that  there  are 
about  1,000,000  young  widows  of  the  Brahman 
and  Rajput  castes,  to  whom  the  system  of  forced 
celibacy  must  be  held  to  be  a cruel  infringement 
of  their  natural  rights.”  He  further  says  that, 
“adding  these  to  the  young  women  of  other 
high  castes,  there  are  not  less  than  2,000,000 
widows  in  India  to  whom  the  existing  Hindu 
law  is  an  injustice  and  a wrong.”  This  Hindu 
law  the  government  recognizes,  and  accepts. 

To  make  this  mass  of  2,000,000  injured  women 
182 


The  Position  of  Government 

real  to  our  readers,  we  may  say  that  it  is  equal 
to  the  whole  population  of  the  women  of  Scot- 
land. 

“This  evil  has  its  root  in  child  marriage.  All 
Hindu  girls  are  either  wives  or  widows  before 
they  reach  the  age  of  fifteen;  ” and,  may  we  add, 
a large  proportion  of  them  are  mothers  when 
they  should  be  playing  with  dolls,  or  should  be 
in  school.  In  one  of  the  Bombay  hospitals  a 
young  girl  of  twelve  years  of  age  was  brought 
into  the  maternity  ward.  She  gave  birth  to  a 
little  child,  but  in  its  birth  her  sufferings  were  so 
extreme  that  the  doctor  and  nurse  in  attendance 
quailed  at  the  sight  of  it.  The  doctor  said  with 
much  emotion  and  great  indignation:  “Govern- 
ment should  put  a stop  to  such  a thing.” 

Again,  in  every  other  country  women  are 
found  in  excess  of  men;  but  in  India,  according 
to  the  census  in  1891,  there  are  nearly  six  and 
one-quarter  million  less  women  than  men.  In 
our  estimation  this  large  number  cannot  be 
wholly  accounted  for  by  the  practice  of  female 
infanticide;  or  from  an  unwillingness  to  make 
returns  of  the  women  of  the  family  to  the  census 
taker;  but  by  other  wrongs  against  womanhood 
that  tend  to  shorten  life  as  well. 

It  is  often  said  that  the  Acts  bearing  upon  these 
163 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

matters  are  practically  inoperative  and  a dead 
letter,  and  in  advance  of  public  opinion.  It  is 
true  that  in  some  respects  they  are;  but  on  the 
other  hand  they  are  not,  and  the  result  of  them 
has  been  on  the  whole  good;  both  as  educative, 
and  in  strengthening  the  cause  of  reform. 

Government  often  seems  to  evade  responsibil- 
ity, by  throwing  it  upon  the  people  with  the  ex- 
cuse that  the  measure  proposed  is  ahead  of  public 
opinion,  or  that  it  must  be  “ asked  for  by  a sec- 
tion sufficiently  important  in  influence  or  in  num- 
bers to  justify  the  course  proposed.”  But  if  any 
reform  can  be  practically  promoted,  it  can  only 
be  by  government  identifying  itself  with  it.  To 
expect  any  unanimity,  or  anything  approaching 
it  among  Hindus  on  any  social  question,  is  an 
impossibility;  and  if  government  wishes  to  wait 
till  such  unanimity  is  reached,  it  will  be  impossi- 
ble to  promote  any  reform  however  needful. 
There  are  hundreds  of  men  in  India  who  would 
be  glad  of  legislative  interference,  and  who  have 
said  of  late,  in  a sort  of  despair,  that  there  is  no 
hope  of  help  from  government.  There  are  other 
educated  men  who  oppose  legislative  interfer- 
ence; yet  if  government  would  do  it  without 
their  seeming  to  sanction  it,  they  would  be  glad, 

for  then  they  could  say  to  their  people:  “What 
184 


The  Position  of  Government 

can  we  do  ? Government  has  done  it,  and  we 
must  submit.” 

Government  must  be  prepared  to  take  the  ini- 
tiative in  any  reform  measure  if  they  are  con- 
vinced of  its  necessity,  without  waiting  for  the 
people  to  indorse  their  action.  Some  of  these 
wrongs  are  a great  iniquity  and  a scandal  to  any 
government.  The  people  would  grumble;  but 
when  it  was  done  they  would  acquiesce.  Hindu 
fatalism,  if  nothing  else,  would  help  them  to  do 
it.  The  Indian  people  are  convinced  of  the 
power  of  the  government,  and  we  feel  that  all  it 
needs  to  promote  any  reform  is  to  be  simply 
courageous;  and  we  do  not  believe  there  would 
be  any  resistance  to  any  of  their  righteous  meas- 
ures. With  governments,  as  with  individuals,  it 
is  always  right  to  do  right  without  regard  to 
consequences. 

Kaye,  in  his  “ Administration  of  the  East  India 
Company,”  speaking  of  the  Suttee  Act,  says 
what  we  believe  is  equally  true  now:  “It  was  a 
great  experiment  and  a successful  one.  Its  suc- 
cess was  fraught  with  a great  lesson.  The  prime 
want  of  human  governments  is  a want  of  faith. 
A bold  policy  is  generally  a successful  one.  It  is 
always  successful  when  the  boldness  is  the  re- 
sult of  a strong  determination  to  do  what  is  right 
185 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

and  to  leave  secondary  considerations  to  them- 
selves. We  have  been  continually  conjuring  up 
bugbears  in  the  distance,  only  to  discover,  upon 
a nearer  approach,  that  they  are  the  merest  con- 
ceptions of  the  brain.  If  we  would  only  believe 
that  a righteous  policy  is  sure  in  the  end  to  be  a 
successful  one,  how  much  groundless  alarm  and 
unnecessary  anxiety  we  should  be  spared  in  all 
our  dealings  with  our  fellows.” 

We  summarize  our  thought  upon  these  points 
as  follows: 

1.  Sooner  or  later,  government  will  have  to 
face  the  question  of  fixing  the  marriageable  age 
of  girls.  We  feel  that  it  made  a great  mistake  in 
refusing  the  recent  Madras  Bill,  with  the  excuse 
that  it  was  ahead  of  public  opinion. 

2.  We  trust  that,  very  soon,  the  enactment 
relating  to  the  Restitution  of  Conjugal  Rights 
will  be  abolished,  or  at  least  amended  so  as  to 
make  imprisonment  impossible. 

3.  We  trust  the  forfeiture-of-property  clause 
may  be  modified,  so  that  a widow,  in  the  event 
of  remarriage,  may  be  able  to  retain  her  civil 
rights. 

4.  We  do  not  plead  for  a divorce  law  for  the 
wife,  so  much  as  that  the  “rights”  of  the  hus- 
band may  be  modified,  and  that  the  two  may  be 

186 


The  Position  of  Government 

put  in  a more  nearly  equal  position.  If  the  wife 
has  no  redress,  then  the  husband  should  not  be 
permitted  to  discard  her.  Hindu  law  does  not 
regard  even  flagrant  immorality  on  the  part  of 
the  husband  as  ground  for  a judicial  separation 
between  husband  and  wife. 

5.  We  plead  that  government  disallow  the 
adoption  of  little  girls  by  Nautch  girls;  and  that 
the  dedication  of  girls  to  gods  or  temples  be  dis- 
tinctly brought  under  the  law  in  such  manner  as 
to  enforce  punishment  for  every  such  offence. 

Says  Justice  M.  G.  Ranade  to  his  fellow-coun- 
trymen: “If  we  are  to  abjure  government  help 

t 

under  all  circumstances,  we  must  perforce  fall 
back  behind  the  Parsees,  Mohammedans  and 
Christians,  who  have  freely  availed  themselves  of 
such  help  in  recasting  their  social  arrangements. 
Further,  as  it  is  likely  that  foreign  rule  will  last 
over  us  for  an  indefinite  length  of  time,  we  re- 
duce ourselves,  by  accepting  this  policy,  to  the 
extreme  absurdity  of  shutting  out  a very  useful 
help  for  many  centuries  to  come.  In  such  mat- 
ters, the  distinction  of  foreign  and  domestic 
rulers  is  a distinction  without  a difference.  It 
has  a meaning  and  significance  when  foreign  in- 
terests override  native  interests;  but  when  the 

foreigners  have  no  interest  to  serve,  and  the  ini- 
187 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

tiative  is  to  be  all  our  own,  the  recognition  of 
State  help  is  not  open  to  the  stock  objection 
urged  by  those  who  think  that  we  forfeit  our  in- 
dependence by  seeking  such  regulation  on  lines 
approved  by  us.” 

It  has  not  been  our  desire  to  do  any  injustice 
to  government,  because  we  fully  realize  the  pe- 
culiar situation  in  which  it  is  placed  by  the 
pledges  which  have  been  given ; but,  at  the  same 
time,  we  dare  not  ignore  the  great  opportunities 
and  responsibilities  of  government  to  the  millions 
of  oppressed  women  under  them;  and  we  plead 
with  them  to  rise  to  the  full  height  of  their  op- 
portunity and  responsibility,  and  to  be  true  to  the 
trust  given  them  when  God  allowed  India  to 
come  under  their  rule.  In  view  of  this,  we  are 
impressed  with  the  fact  of  how  great  the  neces- 
sity is  for  the  divine  command  that  we  “pray 
for  all  those  in  authority,”  that  they  may  rule  in 
righteousness:  and  what  a failure  it  is  for  all 
Christians  to  neglect  this  command. 


188 


XIII 


WHAT  GOVERNMENT  HAS  DONE 

Let  us  now  see  what  government  has  done  for 
the  mitigation  of  these  wrongs: 

1.  While  the  Female  Infanticide  Act  of  1870 
does  not  properly  come  first  here,  yet,  in  its  be- 
ginnings, it  was  one  of  the  earliest  forms  of  the 
wrongs  of  woman  to  engage  the  public  atten- 
tion. 

Sacrificial  infanticide,  discovered  by  Carey  and 
his  fellow-workers  in  1794,  was  soon  completely 
abolished  by  government;  but  the  complete 
abolition  of  Rajput  infanticide  is  still  in  the  fu- 
ture tense.  Rules  have  been  passed  under  the 
above  Act  which  are  working  well  in  the  local 
government  of  the  Punjab,  and  our  prayer  is  that 
it  may  not  be  long  till  the  crime  ceases  to  exist 
in  India. 

2.  The  enactment  secured  by  Carey  for  pro- 
hibiting the  sacrifice  of  children  at  Ganga  Sagar 
and  on  the  Ganges,  was  soon  quoted  as  a prec- 
edent for  further  reform.  Lord  Wellesley  took 
the  first  steps  in  1805  in  answer  to  Carey’s  me- 
morial for  the  abolition  of  the  Suttee,  and  had  he 

189 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

remained  in  office  a year  longer,  a prohibitory 
Act  would  have  been  passed  in  1808.  He  de- 
clined to  notice  the  “prohibitory  regulations” 
recommended  by  civilian  judges;  but  these  were 
adopted  by  Lord  Minto,  in  1812,  who  issued  the 
following  instructions  to  his  magistrates;  “The 
government  after  considering  the  replies  of  the 
pundits,  premised  that  the  practice,  generally 
speaking,  being  recognized  and  encouraged  by 
the  Hindu  religion,  it  appears  evident  that  the 
course  which  the  British  Government  should  fol- 
low, according  to  the  principle  of  religious  tol- 
eration already  noticed,  is  to  allow  the  practice 
in  those  cases  in  which  it  is  countenanced  by 
their  religion,  and  to  prevent  it  in  others  in 
which  it  is  by  the  same  authority  prohibited.” 
The  magistrates  were  then  ordered  to  interfere 
under  the  following  conditions: 

(1)  To  prevent  undue  influences  on  the  part 
of  the  relatives  of  the  Brahmans,  or  any  one,  on 
the  widow  to  induce  her  to  burn. 

(2)  To  prevent  the  criminal  practice  of  drug- 
ging her  to  have  it  done. 

(3)  To  ascertain  if  she  had  attained  the  age 
fixed  by  Hindu  law  at  which  they  were  permitted 
to  burn  themselves. 

(4)  If  pregnant,  she  was  not  allowed  to  burn. 

190 


What  Government  Has  Done 

The  police  were  required  to  inquire  into  cases 
to  see  that  they  fulfilled  these  regulations,  or  to 
otherwise  forbid  the  burning. 

In  1817  these  orders  were  further  modified;  so 
that,  if  the  widow  were  not  in  good  health;  if 
she  had  a child  under  four;  or  if  she  had  chil- 
dren under  seven  for  whom  she  could  not  pro- 
vide a suitable  guardian,  she  was  forbidden  to 
burn.  Also  the  family  were  to  give  due  notifica- 
tion of  the  burning  to  the  authorities,  and  that  it 
was  not  to  be  left  to  the  police  to  find  it  out. 
Magistrates  often  attended  in  person  to  see  that 
the  widow  had  fair  play  if,  at  the  last,  she  wished 
to  escape. 

At  this  apparent  government  sanction  of  the 
Suttee  many  high-minded  officials  revolted. 
Carey  and  his  colleagues  never  ceased  in  their 
agitation  of  the  subject  both  in  England  and  in 
India.  In  the  twenty-one  years  that  elapsed  be- 
tween Lord  Wellesley’s  departure  in  1808,  and 
the  final  prohibition  of  the  custom  by  Lord  Ben- 
tinck  in  1829,  perhaps  no  question  of  Indian 
policy  was  ever  so  thoroughly  sifted  and  so  mi- 
nutely discussed.  In  1824,  when  Lord  Amherst 
was  Governor-General,  the  question  was  again 
submitted  and  was  one  of  the  most  pressing  im- 
portance, and  he  came,  says  a writer,  “to  the 
191 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

mortifying  conclusion  that  it  would  not  be  wise 
to  authorize  any  direct  interference  with  a hoary 
custom  in  which  the  priesthood  had  an  imme- 
diate interest.  It  appeared  to  him  that  the  wisest 
course  would  be  to  trust  to  the  progress  of  edu- 
cation, and  to  let  Suttee  die  a natural  death.  He 
wrote  in  his  minute  on  March,  1827:  ‘I  am  not 
prepared  to  recommend  an  enactment  prohibit- 
ing Suttee  altogether.  ...  I must  frankly 
confess,  though  at  the  risk  of  being  considered 
insensible  to  the  enormity  of  the  evil,  that  I am 
inclined  to  recommend  our  trusting  to  the  prog- 
ress now  making  in  the  diffusion  of  knowledge 
for  the  gradual  suppression  of  this  detestable 
superstition,  I cannot  believe  it  possible  that  the 
burning,  or  burying  alive  of  widows  will  long 
survive  the  advancement  which  every  year  brings 
with  it  in  useful  and  rational  learning.’”  The 
next  year  he  prophesied,  “the  progress  of  gen- 
eral instruction,  and  the  unostentatious  exertions 
of  our  local  officers  will  produce  the  happy  ef- 
fect of  a gradual  diminution,  and,  at  no  very  dis- 
tant period,  the  final  extinction  of  the  barbarous 
rite  of  Suttee.”  His  prophecy  came  true  in  a 
very  short  time,  but  in  a different  way  from  what 
he  prophesied.  Before  that  year  closed  Lord 
Bentinck  was  occupying  the  regal-chair,  and  on 
192 


What  Government  Has  Done 

December  4th,  1829,  an  Act  was  passed  prohibit- 
ing the  Suttee  under  stringent  penal  enactments 
in  the  territories  of  British  India. 

3.  The  widow  was  thus  rescued  from  the 
flames,  but  was  left  for  the  next  twenty-seven 
years  to  the  fate  of  what  a leading  reformer  has 
appropriately  called  “ cold  Suttee.”  In  1856,  after 
much  agitation,  Act  XV.  was  passed  by  Lord 
Canning.  This  Act  legalized  the  status  of  Hindu 
widows  contracting  a second  marriage,  and  their 
children  by  such  marriage.  There  were  upwards 
of  forty  petitions  against  the  bill,  signed  by  from 
fifty  to  sixty  thousand  people,  while  there  were 
only  twenty-five  petitions  in  favor  of  the  bill 
bearing  five  thousand  signatures.  But  this  law 
did  not  preserve  to  the  widow  her  civil  rights,  as 
the  widow  on  marrying  a second  time,  forfeits 
all  property  from  her  husband  “as  if,”  says  the 
Act,  “she  had  then  died.” 

The  change  that  is  urged  is  this,  that  the  widow 
who  remarries  shall  be  equally  protected  in  her 
civil  rights  by  the  law,  with  the  widow  who  re- 
mains unmarried.  The  difficulty  with  the  framers 
of  the  bill  seems  to  have  been  that,  under  Hindu 
law,  a widow  inherits  from  her  husband  on  con- 
dition of  fulfilling  certain  religious  duties  as  a 

widow,  which  are  for  the  spiritual  benefit  of  the 
193 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

husband  and  his  ancestors,  which  she  could  not 
do  if  she  remarried.  There  is  much  said  for  and 
against  this  phase  of  the  case,  but,  says  Sir  W. 
W.  Hunter,  “It  is  questionable  whether  the 
time  has  not  now  come  to  modify  the  forfeiture 
clause  of  the  law  of  1856,  in  regard  to  property 
which  a widow  inherits  from  her  husband’s 
will.” 

In  the  forty-three  years  since  the  enactment,  it 
is  estimated  that  about  five  hundred  widows  have 
remarried.  But  caste  excommunicates  them  for 
it,  and  sometimes  all  their  friends  with  them.  It 
is  this  awful  persecution,  and  the  public  stigma 
that  is  still  attached  to  remarriages,  that  makes 
the  Act  practically  inoperative  up  to  this  time. 
Is  there  no  way  that  government,  having  given 
her  permission  and  made  it  lawful  for  her  to  re- 
marry, can  protect  her  from  persecution  after 
marriage.?  Could  not  excommunication  for  do- 
ing a lawful  act  be  made  illegal  ? Could  it  not  be 
made  criminal  to  injure  the  rights  of  a member  of 
the  community  in  this  way  ? 

4.  As  early  as  1856,  Dr.  Chevers  in  his  book 
entitled  “ Medical  jurisprudence  for  Bengal,” 
called  attention  to  this  question  and  showed  that 
the  law,  as  it  stood,  was  insufficient  to  protect 

child  wives.  He  reverts  to  the  question  in  a later 
194 


What  Government  Has  Done 

edition  in  1870,  and  recommends  an  increase  of 
the  age  of  consent  by  an  amendment  of  the  penal 
code  which,  since  it  had  become  operative  in 
i860,  had  stood  at  ten  years.  The  revelations 
Mr.  Stead  made  in  London,  in  November,  1885, 
which  formed  one  of  the  factors  in  the  raising  of 
the  age  of  consent  in  England  from  thirteen  to 
sixteen,  called  attention  to  the  Indian  Criminal 
Law  on  the  same  subject  in  this  country.  Mr. 
Dayaram  Gidimul,  of  the  Bombay  Statutory  Civil 
Service,  wrote  a series  of  articles  in  the  Indian 
Spectator,  and  brought  the  question  more  promi- 
nently before  the  Indian  public,  exposed  the  de- 
fects in  the  present  law,  and  made  a proposal  for 
amending  it.  These  letters  were  afterward  pub- 
lished by  Mr.  Malabari  in  pamphlet  form,  and 
circulated  among  the  leaders  of  native  society; 
and,  in  this  way,  he  elicited  a large  number  of 
opinions  in  favor  of  the  amendment.  He  also 
elicited  the  private  opinion  of  the  late  Sir  Maxwell 
Melville  in  favor  of  a legal  remedy  and  published 
the  fact.  This  led  to  the  public  meeting  held  in 
Bombay  in  1886,  to  oppose  any  legislation  what- 
ever affecting  a reform  of  Hindu  marriage  cus- 
toms. The  pundits  of  Poona  also  took  up  the 
matter  about  the  same  time,  and  waited  on  Lord 

Reay  to  protest  against  the  proposal.  The  sub- 
195 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

ject  was  not  allowed  to  rest.  The  W.  C.  T.  U. 
ladies  memorialized  government  on  the  subject. 
In  December,  1889,  the  social  Conference  held  its 
annual  meeting  in  Bombay,  and  after  warm  dis- 
cussion passed  a resolution  to  government  ask- 
ing that  the  penal  code  be  so  amended  as  to  ex- 
tend protection  to  girls,  married  as  well  as  un- 
married, at  least  up  to  the  age  of  twelve,  and  to 
treat  any  violation  of  it  as  felony. 

In  June,  1890,  came  the  horrible  death  of  Phul- 
mani  Dasi,  a little  girl  under  twelve  years.  Her 
husband  got  one  year's  imprisonment.  The  story 
of  this  little  girl's  death  roused  both  the  Indian 
and  English  public.  In  August,  1891,  the  Social 
Conference  sent  in  their  memorial  to  government, 
and  this,  with  the  rumor  that  the  Phulmani  case 
was  likely  to  lead  to  a revival  of  the  proposal  of 
the  amendment  for  raising  the  age  of  consent, 
were  among  the  immediate  causes  of  public 
meetings  held  in  Madras,  Satara  and  Poona 
against  it.  Phulmani  Dasi’s  death,  one  among 
hundreds  of  such  cases,  brought  matters  to  a 
sudden  head  and  led  the  way  to  immediate  action. 

On  reading  the  account  in  the  papers,  Mrs. 
Mansell,  an  American  lady  doctor  at  Lucknow, 
got  up  that  memorable  memorial  to  government 

signed  by  fifty-five  lady  doctors  in  India,  which 
196 


What  Government  Has  Done 

went  far  toward  securing  the  amendment.  A 
noted  Indian  gentleman  said  to  us,  “ I thought  I 
had  known  a great  deal,  but  the  facts  that  the 
petition  of  the  lady  doctors  brought  out  were  ” — 
he  shivered,  his  face  contracted,  and  then  he 
added:  “horrible,” 

The  Indian  Witness  of  October,  1890,  says: 
“These  cases  are  too  horrible  and  sickening  in 
their  awful  details  to  be  given  to  the  general 
public.  They  prove  to  the  hilt  all  the  heavy 
charges  brought  against  the  system  of  child  mar- 
riage on  the  ground  of  suffering  inflicted.  Death, 
crippling  for  life,  agony  indescribable,  torture 
that  would  put  a fiend  to  shame — these  are  all 
here.  If  the  officials  of  the  Indian  government 
can  read  this  memorial  without  blenching,  their 
hearts  are  turned  to  stone.”  The  memorial  con- 
cludes: “ In  view  of  the  above  facts,  the  under- 
signed lady  doctors  and  medical  practitioners  ap- 
peal to  your  Excellency’s  compassion  to  enact  or 
introduce  a measure  by  which  the  consummation 
of  marriage  will  not  be  permitted  before  the  wife 
has  passed  the  full  age  of  fourteen  years.” 

A very  interesting  memorial  was  sent  in  signed 
by  eighteen  hundred  native  ladies  from  all  over 
India,  addressed  to  Her  Majesty,  the  Queen  Em- 
press, to  this  effect:  “We,  the  undersigned 
197 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

women  living  in  India,  beg  most  reverently  to 
approach  your  Gracious  Majesty  with  this  hum- 
ble petition,  in  the  hope  that  your  Gracious  Maj- 
esty will  respond  to  our  prayer,  and  direct  such 
steps  to  be  taken  as  may  appear  meet  to  your 
Majesty  to  prevent  a cruel  wrong  to  which  the 
womanhood  of  India  is  now  subject.  A case 
was  recently  tried  in  Calcutta,  the  circumstances 
of  which  are  too  horrible  to  relate;  but,  coming 
in  the  wake  of  several  such  previous  cases,  it 
emphasizes  the  necessity  for  legislation  in  the  in- 
terests of  child  wives  and  other  female  minors. 
Well  aware  of  the  keen  maternal  interest  your 
Gracious  Majesty  has  always  evinced  in  the  wel- 
fare of  your  people,  we  venture  to  appeal  to 
your  Majesty  for  redress,  and  we  feel  confident 
that  our  appeal  will  not  be  made  in  vain.  The 
remedy  we  seek  is  that  the  criminal  law  may  be 
so  altered  as  to  protect  at  least  girls  under  four- 
teen from  their  husbands,  as  well  as  from 
strangers.”  And  then  followed  an  able  and  ex- 
haustive argument  for  the  passing  of  the  amend- 
ment. 

In  the  early  part  of  1890,  Mr.  Malabari  had  gone 
to  England  hoping  that  the  change  would  benefit 
his  health.  His  presence  there  at  this  juncture 

was  most  opportune,  and  helped  to  bring  the 
198 


What  Government  Has  Done 

pressure  of  public  opinion  in  the  home-land  upon 
the  Indian  government  in  the  matter  of  this  bill. 
Sir  Andrew  Scoble  introduced  the  bill  into  the 
vice-regal  council,  January  9th,  1891.  In  the 
discussion  that  followed  the  introduction,  the 
Viceroy,  Lord  Lansdowne,  said:  “Our  object  is 
simply  to  afford  protection  to  those  who  cannot 
protect  themselves;  protection  from  a form  of 
physical  ill-usage  which  1 believe  to  be  reprobated 
by  the  most  thoughtful  section  of  the  commu- 
nity, which  is,  to  the  best  of  my  belief,  entirely 
unsupported  by  religious  sanction,  and  which, 
tinder  English  law,  is  punishable  with  penal  ser- 
vitude for  life.  Without  any  exceptions  or  res- 
ervations, 1 trust  that  the  measure  thus  limited 
and  restricted,  will  receive  the  support  of  public 
opinion,  and  1 cordially  commend  it  to  the  fa- 
vorable consideration  of  the  council.” 

After  the  most  thorough  sifting,  as  regards  the 
religious  authorities  and  prejudices  of  the  people, 
as  well  as  the  points  in  their  objection  to  the  bill, 
it  became  law  on  March  19,  1891. 

5.  Aside  from  the  Provinces  that  go  to  make 
up  British  India,  there  “are  hundreds  of  native 
states,  which  still  retain  a greater  or  less  degree 
of  independence,  and  are  ruled  over  by  their 
hereditary  princes.  These  are  called  Feudatory 

199 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

States.  The  traditional  policy  of  the  Indian  gov- 
ernment has  been  for  the  Viceroy  to  appoint  a 
British  resident  who  resides  at  the  Capital  of  the 
Indian  prince.  Nepaul  is  the  only  state  in  India 
which  is  really  independent.  Many  of  these 
states  are  insignificant  both  in  size  and  impor- 
tance. Only  twelve  have  a population  of  over  a 
million.  Hyderabad  and  Mysore  are  the  largest, 
the  former  with  a population  of  about  ten  million 
and  the  latter  of  about  four  million.” 

This  last  state,  Mysore,  is  in  Southern  India; 
and  in  1894,  the  Maharajah,  since  deceased,  sec- 
onded by  his  very  able  and  well-known  coun- 
sellor, Mr.  Chentsalrao,  passed  an  act  prohibiting 
the  marriage  of  girls  under  eight  years  of  age, 
and  forbidding  the  marriage  of  old  men  over 
fifty  years  with  young  girls  under  fourteen  years. 
The  act  went  into  operation  six  months  after- 
ward, and  the  punishment  of  any  violation  was 
six  months’  imprisonment,  or  a fine  not  exceed- 
ing five  hundred  rupees. 

There  was  not  much  agitation,  though  it  was 
brought  into  force  greatly  against  the  wish  of 
many  of  the  people,  even  of  some  of  the  edu- 
cated sections.  It  was  the  act  of  the  Maharajah 
himself,  who  was  an  enlightened  man.  A friend 

who  has  lived  many  years  in  Mysore  writes  us: 
200 


What  Government  Has  Done 

“The  Act  is  on  the  whole  working  well.  There 
has  been  a tendency  for  magistrates  to  inflict 
lenient  fines.  I fear  the  Act  is  not  always  fear- 
lessly carried  out.  I know  of  one  case  where  an 
old  man  married  a child  wife,  contrary  to  the 
provisions  of  the  Act,  but,  because  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  palace,  no  prosecution  took 
place.  My  own  opinion  is  that  the  Act  has  had  a 
very  beneficial  effect  upon  the  people. 

“The  chief  influence  has  been  educative,  and  I 
believe  it  will  soon  become  a custom  to  marry  at 
the  time  fixed  by  government.  The  people  have 
realized  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  have  their  chil- 
dren marry  so  early.  Those  who  were  anxious 
to  move  in  that  direction  have  had  their  hands 
strengthened;  and  those  eager  for  early  marriages 
have  been  restrained.  But  the  Act  only  touches 
the  fringe  of  a great  subject.  If  the  true  mar- 
riageable age  could  be  raised  to  thirteen  or  four- 
teen, a great  advance  would  have  been  made.” 

The  secretary  to  the  government  of  Mysore 
reported  that  in  1895-1896,  thirty-nine  persons 
were  prosecuted  in  sixteen  cases,  and  twenty-six 
persons  were  convicted  in  thirteen  cases.  The 
Social  Conference  that  met  in  1898,  at  Madras, 
congratulates  itself  on  the  fairly  successful  work- 
ings of  this  Act,  and  expresses  the  hope  it  will 
201 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood  ‘ 

encourage  other  native  states  to  follow  the  ex- 
ample of  Mysore. 

The  Maharajah  of  Jeypore,  a small  Rajput  state, 
after  consulting  the  highest  religious  authorities 
at  his  court,  has  also  fixed  the  marriageable  age 
of  girls  in  his  state  at  fourteen. 

6.  A bill  has  been  proposed  for  the  prevention 
of  child  marriage  in  the  presidency  of  Madras. 
This  movement  began  to  take  shape  in  1897. 
The  Madras  Presidency  is  the  foremost  on  all 
subjects  of  reform  of  any  part  of  British  India. 
The  different  social  conferences  in  the  presidency 
expressed  a conviction  “that  the  time  had  come 
for  applying  to  government  for  legislation  on  the 
subject  to  fix  at  least  the  marriageable  age  for 
boys,  if  not  for  girls;  and  to  lay  down  a maxi- 
mum limit  of  age  for  old  persons  who  marry 
young  girls  on  the  plan  adopted  by  the  Mysore 
government.” 

The  Hindu  Social  Reform  Association  ap- 
pointed a committee  to  draw  up  a memorial  on 
the  same  subject.  “The  province  of  Mysore 
borders  on  this  presidency,  and  is  inhabited  by 
people  most  of  whose  institutions,  customs, 
manners  and  religious  observances  are  identical 
with  those  of  the  people  in  Madras.  People  of 

Madras  of  all  castes  have  largely  settled  them- 
202 


What  Government  Has  Done 

selves  in  Mysore,  and  vice  versa,  and  intermar- 
riages between  people  of  Mysore  and  this  presi- 
dency are  not  uncommon.  If  a useful  measure 
like  the  present  one  could  be  successfully  at- 
tempted in  any  part  of  British  India,  this  presi- 
dency, which  has  so  much  in  common  with 
Mysore,  is  best  fitted  for  its  introduction.”  So 
writes  the  framer  of  one  of  the  bills. 

Two  bills  were  drafted  proposing  the  marriage- 
able age  of  girls  to  be  eight  years,  with  an  im- 
prisonment of  three  months  or  a fine,  or  both,  for 
any  violation  of  the  Act.  This  proposal  the  gov- 
ernment rejected  as  being  in  advance  of  public 
opinion.  It  is  a question  that,  sooner  or  later, 
government  will  have  to  face;  and  we  believe  it 
made  a mistake  in  refusing  its  sanction  to  this 
bill.  A resolution  was  passed  at  the  last  Annual 
National  Social  Congress  that  says: 


“ The  Congress  learns  with  regret  that  the  government  of 
India  has  refused  to  sanction  the  introduction  of  the  Infant 
Marriage  Prevention  Bills  in  the  Local  Legislative  Council  of 
Madras,  on  the  ground  that  in  its  opinion  the  measures  proposed 
were  in  advance  of  public  opinion.  As  both  the  Marriage  Bills 
were  drafted  on  the  lines  of  the  Mysore  Marriage  Resolutions, 
and  fixed  the  minimum  limits  below  the  ages  which  are  now 
observed  by  most  classes  of  the  people,  the  Conference  hopes 
that,  if  the  facts  are  properly  placed  before  the  government,  it 
will  be  satisfied  that  the  bills  were  not  open  to  the  objection 
taken  to  them.  The  Conference,  therefore,  recommends  that 
203 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

early  steps  should  be  taken  by  the  Social  Reform  Association 
to  memorialize  government  with  a view  that  it  may  be  per- 
suaded to  appoint  a Commission  of  Inquiry  to  ascertain  the  ad- 
vance made  by  public  opinion  on  this  subject,  and  to  advise 
government  on  the  action  it  should  take  in  this  matter.” 


7.  Though  affecting  only  the  natives  of  the 
district  of  Malabar,  in  the  Madras  Presidency,  and 
dealing  with  a sectional  difficulty,  the  Malabar 
Marriage  Law,  passed  in  1896,  is  a measure  of 
importance.  It  was  introduced  and  conducted 
through  the  Madras  Legislative  Council  by  the 
Hon.  Mr.  C.  Sankarao  Nair,  to  whose  persever- 
ance, tact  and  moderation  the  success  of  this,  the 
first  attempt  at  social  legislation  on  the  initiative 
of  a non-official  member  of  council,  is  entirely 
due.  The  law  provides  for  the  registration  of 
marriages  between  members  of  the  Malabar  com- 
munity, thus  giving  a legal  basis  to  what  has 
hitherto  been  a purely  social  institution. 

8.  There  has  also  been  passed  an  Act  bearing 
upon  the  restitution  of  conjugal  rights.  This  law 
is  not  native  to  India;  is  neither  Hindu  nor  Mo- 
hammedan; but  is  an  English  law  that  was  im- 
ported into  India.  It  is  enforced  by  imprison- 
ment. In  1885  the  celebrated  Rakhmabai  case 
was  tried  under  this  law.  One  judge  dismissed 

the  case,  as  revolting  to  all  sense  of  justice  to 
204 


What  Government  Has  Done 


compel  a woman  to  consummate  a marriage  that 
had  been  arranged  against  her  will,  and  without 
her  consent.  But  the  High  Court  decided  in  fa- 
vor of  the  man.  In  1890,  when  Mr.  Malabari  was 
in  England,  he  got  up  a very  influential  commit- 
tee on  the  subject  of  Reform  of  Indian  Marriage 
Laws.  They  sent  in  a memorial  to  the  Indian 
government,  asking  for  four  reforms.  One  was 
that  the  age  of  consent  be  raised  to  twelve,  which 
was  done;  and  resolution  three  was  “that  the 
suit  for  Restitution  of  Conjugal  Rights,  which  is 
founded  on  ecclesiastical  law,  and  has  been  re- 
pudiated in  its  coercive  form  in  all  countries  of 
Europe,  and  ought  never  to  have  been  intro- 
duced INTO  India;  that  the  continued  prosecution 
of  such  a suit  is  likely  to  produce  injustice;  and 
that  the  whole  requires  reconsideration  at  the 
hands  of  government  with  a due  regard  to  the 
marriage  laws  and  the  habits  and  customs  of  the 
people  of  India.” 

In  1894  a bill  came  before  the  Legislative 
Council  proposing  an  amendment  to  the  effect 
that  imprisonment  be  left  to  the  discretion  of  the 
judges.  It  did  not  touch  a Hindu  custom,  it  was 
a ruling  imported  from  England,  and  the  opposi- 
tion of  a part  of  the  Bengal  press  to  the  amend- 
ment is  inexplicable. 


205 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

The  bill  was  not  passed.  The  law  remains  to- 
day. It  is  an  injustice  to  womankind,  and  exists 
in  no  other  country.  No  woman  can  be  impris- 
oned in  India  for  debt.  Truly,  this  is  a law  that 
disfigures  the  statue-book.  It  was  not  in  defer- 
ence to  Hindu  law,  or  custom,  that  Rakhmabai 
lost  her  case;  but  under  this  English  law  that 
was  practically  obsolete  at  the  time  in  England ; 
and  by  the  defeat  of  this  case,  the  hand  on  the 
dial  of  the  cause  of  womanhood  was  put  back- 
ward ten  years. 

9.  The  India  Universities,  of  which  there  are 
five,  located  at  Madras,  Bombay,  Calcutta,  Lahore 
and  Allahabad,  are  all  open  to  women;  a fact  of 
which  we  are  justly  proud,  and  in  which  we  are 
ahead  of  the  history  of  Western  Universities. 
Perhaps  we  reaped  the  fruit  of  the  agitation  that 
opened  the  door  of  Western  Universities  to 
women.  On  the  page  referring  to  “Examina- 
tions, Honors  and  Degrees  ” in  the  calendar  of 
the  Bombay  University,  is  the  following  unique 
sentence:  “ In  the  following  regulations  the  pro- 
noun ‘ he  ’ and  its  derivatives  are  used  to  denote 
either  sex,  the  male  or  female.”  We  shall  be 
glad  when  the  heavy  inequality  between  man 
and  woman  shall  be  removed  in  other  depart- 
ments of  life,  and  when  the  rights  of  “she,  hers 
206 


liOMHAV  COU.KC.K 


What  Government  Has  Done 

and  her”  shall  more  nearly  equal  those  of  “he, 
his  and  him.” 

10.  The  Countess  of  Dufferin’s  scheme,  or  the 
National  Association  for  supplying  medical  aid 
for  woman,  has  also  received  gratifying  atten- 
tion. 

The  government  of  India  has  a fully  equipped 
medical  department  for  all  India;  and  you  will 
find  hospitals  and  dispensaries  in  every  town  of 
almost  any  size.  But  as  nearly  five  million 
women  live  behind  the  purdah,  and  would  not 
see  a male  practitioner;  and  as  many  more, 
though  not  behind  the  purdah,  are  of  the  same 
opinion;  consequently,  they  often  suffer  severely 
from  the  malpractice  of  ignorant  doctors,  and 
especially  at  the  hands  of  the  ignorant,  bungling, 
superstitious  midwives.  Said  a lady  doctor  re- 
cently in  a distant  city,  with  great  indignation: 
“1  should  like  to  hang  every  one  in  the  city.” 

In  1869,  the  American  Methodist’s  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  sent  Miss  Clara  Swain  to  In- 
dia, the  first  woman  physician  with  a diploma 
that  ever  set  foot  in  Asia.  Later  the  Indian  Fe- 
male Normal  School  Society  sent  Miss  Bielby  to 
Lucknow,  whose  name  will  ever  be  associated 
with  the  origin  of  Lady  Dufferin’s  scheme.  For 

many  years,  lady  missionaries  alone  carried  on 
207 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

medical  work  for  women  in  India.  Then  came 
the  following  break: 

Miss  Bielby  was  called  to  Punna,  to  attend  the 
Maharajah’s  wife  who  was  ill.  She  devoted  her- 
self to  the  sick  lady,  and  was  about  to  return  to 
her  work  in  Lucknow.  In  the  meantime,  the 
Rani  had  learned  that  Miss  Bielby  was  about 
leaving  for  England,  In  bidding  her  good-bye, 
she  dismissed  all  her  ladies  and  attendants  so  that 
she  could  be  alone  with  Miss  Bielby,  and  said  to 
her:  “You  are  going  to  England,  and  I want 
you  to  tell  the  Queen  and  the  Prince  and  Princess 
of  Wales,  and  the  men  and  women  of  England, 
what  the  women  of  India  suffer  when  they  are 
sick.  Will  you  promise  me.?”  She  then  ex- 
plained that  she  asked  for  no  change  in  their  social 
condition,  but  relief  from  cruel  suffering;  and 
begged  Miss  Bielby  to  give  the  message  in  per- 
son. Miss  Bielby  explained  the  great  difficulty 
she  would  have  in  getting  access  to  the  queen. 
“But,”  insisted  the  Rani,  “did  you  not  tell  me 
that  our  queen  was  good  and  gracious;  that  she 
never  heard  of  sorrow  without  sending  a mes- 
sage to  say  how  sorry  she  was,  and  trying  to 
help?”  The  Rani  insisted  on  dictating  a mes- 
sage: “ Write  it  small,  for  I want  to  put  it  into  a 

locket,  and  you  are  to  wear  this  locket  around 
208 


What  Government  Has  Done 

your  neck  till  you  see  our  great  queen,  and  give 
it  to  her  yourself : you  are  not  to  send  it  through 
another.” 

When  the  queen  heard,  through  some  of  her 
court  ladies,  of  Miss  Bielby’s  work  and  message, 
she  determined  to  see  her  and  hear  all  for  herself. 
Her  Majesty  listened  with  great  interest,  and 
asked  many  questions;  and,  turning  to  her  ladies 
said:  “We  had  no  idea  it  was  as  bad  as  this; 

something  must  be  done  for  these  poor  crea- 
tures.” The  queen  accepted  the  locket  and  gave 
a message  which  might  be  given  to  every  one 
with  whom  Miss  Bielby  spoke  on  the  subject  of 
such  suffering  of  the  women  in  India: 

“We  should  wish  it  generally  known  that 

WE  SYMPATHIZE  WITH  EVERY  EFFORT  MADE  TO  RE- 
LIEVE THE  SUFFERING  OF  THE  WOMEN  OF  INDIA.” 

The  subject  attracted  much  attention  in  Eng- 
land; and,  as  Lord  Dufferin  was  just  about  to 
sail  for  India  as  the  viceroy-elect,  the  queen  de- 
sired Lady  Dufferin  to  do  all  in  her  power  in  this 
direction.  This  is  the  touching  story  of  the 
origin  of  the  National  Association  which  was 
organized  after  Lady  Dufferin  reached  India  in 
August,  1885.  It  was  one  movement  for  India 
that  was  received  by  Hindus  and  Mohammedans 

with  acclamation,  and  which  received  their  sup- 
209 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

port,  both  in  sympathy  and  money.  And  though 
it  is  not  a Government  Act,  and  does  not  prop- 
erly come  under  the  heading  of  this  chapter,  yet 
it  has  had  the  patronage  of  the  Queen-Empress 
and  of  the  Viceroy,  and  seemed  fitting  to  be 
classed  with  the  other  efforts  for  reform. 

II.  Female  Education:  government  has  done 
a good  deal  in  this  line  in  establishing  schools 
and  encouraging  education  for  women;  but  we 
expect  to  treat  this  matter  more  fully  in  a later 
chapter. 

Besides  all  these  enactments,  there  are  a few 
minor  provisions,  both  in  the  Penal  Code  and  the 
Criminal  Procedure  Code,  which  protect  woman, 
especially  Sections  372  and  373.  Besides,  widows 
in  the  Bombay  Presidency  have  greater  privileges 
in  the  line  of  inheritance  from  their  husbands, 
and  in  the  disposal  of  the  same,  than  widows  in 
other  parts  of  India.  This  is  due  probably  to  the 
influential  part  played  by  Mahratta  Princesses 
during  the  time  of  Shivaji  and  his  successors. 
The  Mahrattas  were  once  a freer  and  more  war- 
like race  than  most  of  the  peoples  in  India,  which 
probably  insured  greater  freedom  to  their  women. 


210 


XIV 


WHAT  THE  REFORMERS  HAVE  DONE 

Sir  Monier  Williams  says  that  " as  often  as 
pantheistic  and  polytheistic  ideas  have  been 
pushed  to  preposterous  extremes  in  India,  a re- 
action has  always  taken  place  toward  simple 
monotheism;  that  the  reformers,  Ramanuja, 
Madhva,  Vallaba  and  Chaitanya,  who  arose  in 
the  twelfth,  thirteenth,  fifteenth  and  sixteenth 
centuries,  all  taught  the  existence  of  one  supreme 
personal  God,  of  infinite  power,  wisdom  and 
goodness,  maker  and  preserver  of  all  things, 
whom  they  called  Vishnu,  and  whom  they  be- 
lieved to  be  distinct  from  the  human  soul  and 
the  material  world.  But  none  of  them  succeeded 
in  counteracting  the  corrupt  tendencies  inherent 
in  the  Vaishnava  system,  and  notwithstanding 
the  partial  reformation  accomplished,  the  tide 
of  degrading  idolatrous  practices  set  in  more 
strongly  than  ever. 

“Then  followed  the  monotheistic  reaction,  led 
by  Kabir  in  the  sixteenth  century,  and  improved 
upon  shortly  afterward  by  Nanak,  the  founder 

of  the  Sikh  religion.  These  movements  were,  in 
211 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

a great  measure,  due  to  Mohammedan  influences. 
Both  Kabir  and  Nanak  did  their  best  to  purify 
the  Augean  stable  of  corrupt  Hindu  doctrine. 
They  even  tried  to  unite  Hindus  and  Mohamme- 
dans on  the  common  ground  of  belief  in  the 
unity  of  the  godhead.  In  the  former  they  had 
only  a limited  success  and  in  the  latter  were 
wholly  unsuccessful.”  * 

Close  upon  the  heels  of  the  Mohammedan  in- 
vasion which  had  induced  the  reaction  led  by 
Kabir  and  Nanak  in  the  sixteenth  century,  there 
entered,  through  the  arrival  of  the  English  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  the  beginnings  of  a power 
and  influence  destined  to  lead  to  reform,  and 
eventually  we  believe  to  transform  India,  namely, 
Christian  truth. 

Says  Sir  Monier  Williams:  "Everywhere  at 
the  great  centres  of  British  authority,  a mighty 
stir  of  thought  began  to  be  set  in  motion,  and 
able  men  educated  by  us  made  no  secret  of  their 
dissatisfaction  with  the  national  religion,  and 
their  desire  for  a purer  faith  than  that  received 
from  their  fathers.  At  the  moment  when 
thoughtful  Hindus  were  thus  asking  for  light 
and  leading,  the  right  leader  appeared.  The 
Hindu  reformation  inaugurated  by  Ram  Mohun 

' “ Religious  Thought  and  Life  in  India.”  (1883.) 

212 


What  the  Reformers  Have  Done 

Roy,  was  the  first  reformation  due  to  Christian 
influences,  and  to  the  diffusion  of  European  ideas 
through  English  education.  He  was  the  first 
modern  theistical  reformer  of  what  may  be  called 
British  India.”  ^ 

This  man  was  born  in  North  India,  in  1774;  a 
Brahman,  whose  father  held  offices  under  the 
Mogul  Emperor.  That  his  son  might  rise  to 
some  such  place,  the  father  had  him  educated  in 
Persian  and  Arabic,  which  of  course  included  the 
Koran,  and  which  startled  his  mind  into  ques- 
tions of  religious  reform.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
he  wrote  a spirited  attack  against  idolatry;  and  in 
later  years  he  was  most  vigorous  in  his  public 
attacks  upon  the  same  evil.  On  his  advent  in 
Calcutta,  he  gathered  about  him  men  of  sympa- 
thetic spirit,  and  in  January,  1830,  he  organized 
the  Hindu  Unitarian  church  and  set  on  foot  the 
Theistic  movement  now  so  well  known  in  India. 

He  was  the  contemporary  of  the  Serampore 
missionaries  and  Dr.  Duff.  He  was  the  first 
prominent  reformer  that  battled  for  the  cause  of 
women.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  spirits  in 
the  agitation  for  the  abolishment  of  the  Suttee, 
and  wrote  articles  and  booklets  denouncing  the 
practice,  and  proving  that  it  had  no  Vedic  sanc- 

* “ Religious  Thought  and  Life  in  India.”  (1883.) 

213 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

tion.  Besides,  when  he — the  first  native  of  rank 
and  influence,  who  had  ventured  to  break  through 
the  inveterate  prejudices  of  centuries — arrived  in 
England  in  1831,  he  was  present  when  the 
famous  memorial  “ affirming  that  the  act  of  the 
Suttee  was  not  only  a sacred  duty,  but  an  exalted 
privilege,  denouncing  the  prohibition  as  a breach 
of  the  promise  that  there  should  be  no  interfer- 
ence with  the  religious  customs  of  the  Hindus, 
and  begging  for  its  restoration,”  was  sent  by 
Lord  Wm.  Bentinck  to  the  Privy  Council.  When 
presented  to  His  Lordship,  he  had  refused  to  re- 
scind the  act,  but  offered  to  transmit  it  to  the 
Privy  Council.  Ram  Mohun  Roy’s  presence  in 
England  at  the  time  was  a good  antidote  to  the 
memorial,  and  no  doubt  helped  in  its  defeat,  as 
did  also  the  influence  of  Lord  Wellesley,  Grant, 
and  others. 

Those  early  days  in  India  were  stirring  times 
of  which  there  is  little  history  and  little  reliable 
data;  but  it  was  the  birth  time  of  the  reform 
thought  that  has  spread  all  over  India.  Only  here 
and  there,  now,  can  we  find  much  trace  of  it; 
here  an  article  written  by  some  enthusiast  on  the 
condition  of  widows,  and  there  a strong  denun- 
ciation of  child  marriage,  or  of  some  other  evil 
that  enthralled  women. 

214 


What  the  Reformers  Have  Done 

Dr.  Duff  one  evening  found  the  subject  of  de- 
bate in  a debating  society  of  some  fifty  Hindu 
students  to  be  “Whether  females  ought  to  be 
educated.”  As  to  the  theory  of  the  subject,  they 
ended  in  being  unanimous.  One  married  youth 
exclaimed,  “Is  it  alleged  that  female  education  is 
prohibited,  if  not  by  the  letter,  at  least  by  the 
spirit  of  some  of  our  shastras  ? If  any  of  the 
shastras  be  found  to  advance  what  is  so  contrary 
to  reason,  1,  for  one,  will  trample  them  under  my 
feet.”  Says  Dr.  Duffs  biographer:  “It  was  of 
societies  where  such  questions  were  discussed, 
that  a vernacular  newspaper  exclaimed:  ‘The 
night  of  desolation  and  ignorance  is  beginning  to 
change  its  black  aspect,  and  the  sky,  big  with 
fate,  is  about  to  bring  forth  a storm  of  knowledge 
which  will  sweep  those  airy  battlements  away 
that  have  so  long  imprisoned  that  tide  of 
thought.’  ” 

The  next  in  order  is  Ishwar  Chandra  Vidi- 
ASAGAR,  who  led  the  agitation  out  of  which  rose 
the  bill  for  the  remarriage  of  widows,  in  1855- 
1856.  He  was  the  learned  and  eminent  principal 
of  the  Sanskrit  College  in  Calcutta,  j He  was  the 
son  of  a poor  Brahman,  but  he  had  a remarkable 
mother,  and  it  is  said  that  it  was  from  her  that  he 

received  the  inspiration  to  work  for  widows.  ^ 
215 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

On  one  occasion  a child  widow  came  to  her 
house,  and  she  was  so  moved  with  pity  that 
with  tears  in  her  eyes  she  said  to  her  son : “ Thou 
hast  read  to  the  end  of  the  shastras,  and  hast  thou 
found  no  sanction  yet  for  the  remarriage  of 
widows  ?”  This  question  first  turned  the  atten- 
tion of  her  son  to  the  great  subject  that  engrossed 
much  of  his  life,  and  led  finally  to  the  passing  of 
the  above  Act.  His  espousal  of  the  cause  of 
women  was  very  earnest,  and  his  proving  that 
the  refusal  of  remarriage  to  widows  had  no 
Vedic  sanction  had  great  weight  because  of  his 
reputed  position  as  a Sanskrit  scholar.  In  a 
pamphlet  on  the  subject  of  the  remarriage  of 
widows  he  pathetically  exclaims,  after  speaking 
of  the  power  mere  custom  has:  “When  men 
consider  the  observance  of  mere  forms  as  the 
highest  of  duties  and  the  greatest  of  virtues,  in 
such  a country  would  that  women  were  never 
born.  Woman!  In  India  thy  lot  is  cast  in 
misery!  ” Such  language  to-day  would  be  called 
sentimental  and  exaggerated.  But  so  far  as  we 
can  learn,  Mr.  1.  C.  Vidiasagar  remained  a most 
orthodox  Hindu  all  his  life,  and  to  him,  possibly 
more  than  any  other  man,  is  due  the  existence  of 
the  Act  whereby  a widow  can  remarry,  provided 
she  and  her  friends  are  brave  enough. 


What  the  Reformers  Have  Done 

His  statue  was  recently  unveiled  at  the  Govern- 
ment Sanskrit  College,  Calcutta.  The  unveiling 
of  the  statue  is  a significant  incident  inaugurating 
a new  phase  of  public  life  in  India  in  commemo- 
rating the  lives  of  useful  men,  and  of  making  a 
link  between  the  past  and  present.  But  con- 
sidering the  fact  that  the  majority  of  Hindus  still 
practically  refuse  remarriage  to  their  widows, 
there  is  a touch  of  irony  in  the  action.  The 
abolition  of  the  custom  would  have  been  a more 
enduring  and  fitting  monument  to  his  name  than 
any  block  of  sculptured  marble. 

Later  on  came  the  wonderful  career  of  Keshub 
Chunder  Sen.  In  1870,  on  his  return  from  his 
visit  to  England,  he  inaugurated  a number  of  re- 
forms. When  in  England  the  Times  and  the 
Echo  had  struck  him  with  the  irresistible  power 
of  English  public  opinion  in  exposing  wrong,  en- 
couraging right,  and  educating  the  common 
people.  With  the  ready  instinct  of  a true  re- 
former, he  started  the  Sulav  Samachar  {Cheap 
News)  in  November,  1870.  It  was  a weekly  pice 
paper,  the  first  enterprise  of  its  kind  in  India,  and 
it  made  a great  sensation,  meeting  with  unex- 
pected success.  Three  or  four  thousand  copies 
were  sold  weekly,  and  classes  who  had  never 

handled  a newspaper  before,  began  to  eagerly 
217 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

read  and  pay  for  it.  This  stimulated  repeated 
imitation,  not  only  in  Bengal,  but  all  over  India, 
till,  at  the  present  moment,  cheap  journalism  has 
become  a widespread  institution,  and  has  created 
a public  opinion  which  the  government  itself  is 
obliged  to  respect.”  ‘ 

Keshub  Chunder  Sen  was  so  delighted  with 
the  intelligence  and  refinement  of  the  women  of 
England  that  he  did  all  in  his  power  to  raise  the 
status  of  women  in  this  country.  He  started  a 
normal  school  for  native  ladies,  which  was  at- 
tended daily  by  nearly  fifty  high  caste  Hindu 
ladies  from  the  Zenanas.  Government  was  so 
pleased  as  to  give  an  annual  grant  of  two 
thousand  rupees  toward  its  support;  and  the  im- 
provement of  women’s  condition  took  on  a new 
impetus  from  that  time. 

A kind  of  Ladies’  Club  was  also  started,  in 
which  ladies  read  and  discussed  papers.  Similar 
societies  now  exist  in  Madras  and  Bombay.  Per- 
haps the  most  important  measure  he  brought 
about,  that  affects  women,  was  the  Brahmo- 
marriage  Bill  that  was  passed  largely  through  Mr. 
Sen’s  efforts,  on  March  19th,  1872;  which  is  prac- 
tically a way  for  the  performance  of  a civil  mar- 
riage between  any  two  natives  regardless  of 

• “ Life  of  Keshub  Chunder  Sen,”  by  Protap  Moozamdar. 

218 


What  the  Reformers  Have  Done 


caste  or  society.  The  only  drawback  to  it  is  that 
the  marrying  parties  have  to  declare  that  they  do 
not  profess  the  Hindu,  Mohammedan,  Christian, 
Parsee,  Buddhist,  Sikh,  or  Jain  religion.  This 
has  kept  it  from  being  more  popular  than  it  is, 
though  a number  of  very  interesting  marriages 
have  been  made  possible  by  it.  On  December 
2d,  1898,  a most  interesting  intermarriage  oc- 
curred at  Madras,  which  was  possible  only 
through  this  Act;  and  which  we  hope  will  prove 
to  be  a forerunner  of  many  more.  The  brave 
couple,  of  different  castes,  were  Dr.  Govindara- 
julu  Naidu,  M.  B.,  C.  M.  (Edin.)  Medical  Officer 
to  His  Highness  the  Nizam’s  Imperial  Service 
Troops,  Hyderabad;  and  Miss  Sarojini  Chatto- 
padhyay.  As  an  illustration  of  the  possibilities 
of  present  day  reform,  we  quote  a paragraph 
from  an  Indian  newspaper: 

“ Mrs.  Ram  Mohan  Roy,  a Brahmo  lady  of  culture  and  re- 
finement, acted  as  the  bridesmaid  and  added  grace  and  beauty 
to  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion.  The  ceremony  opened  with 
a prayer  by  Mr.  S.  Somasundarum  Pillai,  B.  A. ; and  after  the 
prescribed  rituals  had  been  gone  through,  Rao  Bahadur  Pandit 
Veerasalingam  Pantulu  Guru,  officiated  as  the  minister  for  the 
sacred  occasion.  After  the  minister’s  charge  to  the  happy 
couple  regarding  the  responsibilities  of  life.  Dr.  Aghorenath 
gave  away  the  bride  and  united  the  pair  in  holy  wedlock  in 
due  form,  the  marriage  being  solemnized  in  the  presence  of  Mr. 
F.  D.  Bird,  the  Registrar  of  Marriages  of  Madras  Town.  Rao 
219 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

Bahadur  Pandit  Veerasalingam  Pantulu  Guru  then  pronounced 
the  benediction.  Before  the  several  guests  dispersed,  some 
refreshments  were  served  and  partaken  with  very  great  cheers 
amidst  toasts  and  replies  in  perfect  harmony  without  any  dis- 
tinction of  caste.  During  the  short  time  they  spent  in  the 
Brahmo  Mandir  the  couple  received  the  hearty  congratulations 
of  all  friends  present  and  drove  off  to  Capper  House  Hotel,  where 
Dr.  Govindarajulu  Naidu  has  been  staying.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Govindarajulu  left  Madras  for  Hyderabad  on  Sunday  evening. 

“This  interesting  event  must  be  regarded  as  unique  in  many 
respects,  and  as  marking  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  reform 
movement  in  this  country.  The  bridegroom  belongs  to  the 
Balija  community,  whereas  the  bride  is  a Brahman  by  birth  ; the 
former  is  a Madrasi,  whereas  the  latter  is  a Bengali ; and  both 
are  England-returned  Hindus.  Dr.  Govidarajulu  Naidu, 
M.  B.  C.  M.,  completed  his  medical  course  in  England,  and  his 
wife,  a Matriculate  of  the  Madras  University,  spent  a couple  of 
years  there  to  receive  higher  education.^ 

Mr.  Sen  also  set  on  foot  another  agitation  on 
the  subject  of  ascertaining  the  proper  marriage- 
able age  of  Hindu  girls.  As  President  of  the 
Indian  Reform  Association,  he  addressed,  in 
April,  1871,  a circular  letter  to  the  most  eminent 
medical  authorities  in  India  wishing  to  have  their 
opinion  on  the  question.  This  agitation  and  the 
medical  opinions  obtained  were  most  helpful  in 
educating  public  opinion  on  the  subject.  In  a 
speech  in  the  Town  Hall  in  Calcutta,  he  thus 
summarized  the  views  received: 

“ The  medical  authorities  in  Calcutta  unanimously  declare 
that  sixteen  is  the  minimum  marriageable  age  of  girls  in  this 
220 


What  the  Reformers  Have  Done 


country.  Dr.  Charles  makes  a valuable  suggestion  : he  holds 
that  fourteen,  being  the  commencement  of  adolescence,  may  for 
the  present  be  regarded  as  the  minimum  age  at  which  native 
girls  may  be  allowed  to  marry,  and  may  serve  as  a starting 
point  for  reform  in  this  direction.  In  conformity  with  his  sug- 
gestion,  and  the  opinions  given  by  the  other  referees,  we  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that,  for  the  present  at  least,  it  would 
be  expedient  to  follow  the  provision  in  the  bill  which  makes 
fourteen  the  minimum  marriageable  age  of  girls  in  this  country, 
leaving  it  in  the  hands  of  time  to  develop  this  reform  slowly 
and  gradually  into  maturity  and  fullness.” 

Thus,  under  the  Brahmo-Marriage  Bill,  that 
was  afterward  changed  to  the  name  of  the  Native 
Marriage  Act,  (and  is  in  substance  a Civil  Marriage 
Bill)  the  husband  was  bound  to  complete  the  age 
of  eighteen,  and  the  wife  fourteen ; and  also  un- 
der this  Act,  bigamy,  polygamy  and  infant  mar- 
riages were  made  impossible  in  the  Brahmo- 
Samaj. 

The  tide  of  reform  kept  swelling  until  i88i, 
when  a new  reformer  appeared  on  the  scene. 
This  time  not  a Hindu,  but  a Parsee,  Mr.  B.  H. 
Malabari,  who  right  royally  espoused  the  cause 
of  women,  especially  in  respect  to  “enforced 
widowhood  and  child  marriage.”  The  next  dec- 
ade, 1881-1891,  forms  what  we  feel  has  been  so 
far  the  “golden  age  ” of  social  reform  in  India. 
“ It  was  the  widow,”  wrote  Malabari  in  1885, 

“who  first  set  me  thinking  about  the  whole 
221 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

question.”  It  will  be  best  to  let  his  biographer 
tell  his  story. 

“Malabari  was  not  a Sanskrit  scholar  like  Ram 
Mohun  Roy,  or  Vidiasagar;  and  he  was  not  a 
Hindu.  But  he  felt  vividly  the  sin,  the  folly,  the 
unnaturalness  of  this  custom  of  infant  marriage, 
and  traced  the  woes  of  widowhood  to  this  cause. 
How  this  pernicious  custom  could  be  abolished 
was  a question  which  long  perplexed  him.  He 
knew  full  well  the  economy  of  Hindu  homes; 
he  was  not  unaware  that  many  of  these  were 
happy  homes  in  a way.  But  was  there  not  a 
large  amount  of  misery  which  could  be  easily 
avoided  ? And  was  not  this  practice  a dead  ob- 
stacle in  the  way  of  female  education  and  of  na- 
tional progress  ? The  evil  was  universally  admit- 
ted; and  surely  it  could  not  be  an  evil  without  a 
remedy  ? 

“ He  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  tremen- 
dous difficulties  of  the  Hindu  reformers  and  the 
fate  which  had  overtaken  some  of  them.  A 
Hindu  sovereign  could  have  easily  put  an  end  to 
such  practices  if  convinced  of  their  illegality 
from  the  Shastric  texts.  But  an  alien  govern- 
ment was  a Kumbha  haran  (A  Sleeping  Giant) 
in  social  matters,  extremely  difficult  to  awaken 

to  a sense  of  its  responsibility;  while  the  strong- 
222 


What  the  Reformers  Have  Done 

hold  of  Hindu  usage  and  superstition  was  harder 
to  conquer  than  Ravati’s  Lanka. 

“What,  then,  was  an  outsider  to  do  for  the 
victims  of  these  baneful  customs?  Was  he  to 
fold  his  arms,  and  do  nothing  because  he  was  an 
outsider  ? Had  humanity  as  a whole  any  out- 
siders ivithin  itself?  . . . Was  it  not  the 

plain  duty  of  every  man  to  do  what  lay  in  his 
power  to  mitigate  the  hard  lot  of  his  brothers  and 
sisters  ? Were  not  the  suffering  child-brides,  and 
the  suffering  Hindu  widows,  with  their  heads 
shaved  for  the  sin  of  losing  their  husbands,  his 
own  sisters,  though  he  was  a Parsee  ? . . . 

Was  it  not  clear  that  female  education  would 
never  make  any  appreciable  progress  so  long  as 
girls  had  to  be  married  in  their  tender  years? 
Had  not  Keshub  Chunder  Sen  proved  by  the 
opinions  of  medical  experts  in  India  that  infant 
marriage  led  to  an  unnaturally  early  development 
of  functions  that  were  in  the  long  run  ruinous  to 
the  physical,  and  therefore  to  the  mental  strength 
of  the  nation  ? Was  it  not  infant  marriage  again 
that  led  mainly  to  enforced  and  unhappy  widow- 
hood ? 

“ Having  resolved  to  devote  himself  to  the 
eradication  of  these  evils,  Malabari  next  thought 

about  the  ways  and  means,  and  about  the  plan 
223 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

of  his  campaign.  He  knew  who  had  abolished 
Suttee  and  Infanticide.  He  was  averse  to  legis- 
lation on  the  subjects  which  had  interested  him 
so  deeply;  but  he  thought  the  moral  support  of 
the  State  was  essential.  Jotting  down  his 
thoughts  in  the  form  of  ‘notes,’  he  presented 
himself  one  day  in  May  or  June,  1884,  to  Lord 
Ripon  the  Viceroy,  at  Simla.”  * 

Mr.  Malabari  received  a most  sympathetic 
hearing  not  only  from  the  Viceroy  but  from 
other  members  of  the  government.  He  had  a 
large  number  of  his  “ notes  ” printed  and  circu- 
lated among  official  and  non-official  persons. 
The  press  discussed  them  freely,  and  they  were 
translated  by  the  native  papers  into  almost  all  the 
vernaculars  of  India.  For  the  first  time  the 
wrongs  of  Indian  women  were  thus  put  before 
all  India,  or  that  which  would  be  representative. 

In  September,  1884,  the  supreme  government 
forwarded  the  “ notes”  to  all  local  governments 
for  their  opinion,  and  that  they  might  consult 
representatives  of  native  opinion.  In  October  8, 
1886,  government  replied  in  the  negative  to  the 
measures  proposed  for  legislation  in  his  “ notes,” 
some  of  which,  after  a lapse  of  years,  seem  un- 
practical, and  justify  the  negation.  Government 

> Life  and  labors  of  Mr.  B.  H.  Malabari. 

224 


What  the  Reformers  Have  Done 

in  its  reply,  after  stating  the  case,  and  its  usual 
policy  in  all  such  matters,  added: 

“ Although  there  is  much  to  be  said  in  favor  of  each  of  these 
suggestions,  the  Governor-General  in  council,  as  at  present  ad- 
vised, would  prefer  not  to  interfere  even  to  the  limited  extent 
proposed,  by  legislative  action  until  sufficient  proof  is  forth- 
coming that  legislation  has  been  asked  for  by  a section,  im- 
portant in  influence  or  number,  of  the  Hindu  community  itself.” 

^ The  events  that  followed  the  publication  of 
Mr.  Malabari’s  “notes,”  from  1884  until  1891, 
have  had  no  parallel  in  any  period  of  social  re- 
form in  India.  In  the  following  January,  1885, 
came  the  Surat  widow’s  appeal  to  the  Nagar 
Shett;  the  Nowsari  widows’  appeal  to  the 
Gaikwar  in  April;  the  campaign  of  Malabari  in 
the  Punjab  in  September  and  October  on  these 
subjects.  The  effect  produced  by  the  revelations 
of  Mr.  Stead,  in  November,  led  to  a series  of 
articles  in  the  Indian  Spectator  by  Mr.  Dayaram 
Gidumul,  which  called  attention  to  the  Indian 
Criminal  Code  on  the  same  subject,  pointing  out 
its  defects,  and  proposing  that  the  age  of  consent 
be  raised,  which  Mr.  Malabari  afterward  pub- 
lished in  pamphlet  form;  and  their  distributation 
throughout  India  elicited  a large  number  of 
opinions  in  favor  of  the  proposal.  Then  fol- 
lowed the  strong  advocacy  of  legislation  on  the 
225 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

subject  of  Infant  Marriage  by  Justice  Renade  in 
December,  in  an  able  preface  to  a collection  of 
papers  bearing  on  the  enactment  of  Act  15,  of 
1856.  The  following  February  (1886)  Mr.  Mala- 
bari  made  another  tour  throughout  the  northwest. 
This  led  to  the  memorial  of  Sir  T.  Madhavrao  and 
other  leading  citizens  of  Madras  to  the  Viceroy 
(Lord  Dufferin),  in  March,  1886,  for  fixing  the 
marriageable  age  of  Hindu  girls  at  ten;  and  the 
Meerut  Memorial,  in  August,  1886,  praying  that 
the  limit  of  age  be  fixed  at  twelve  for  girls  and 
sixteen  for  boys;  the  Madhav  Bagh  meeting  in 
Bombay,  in  September,  1886,  to  protest  against 
any  legislative  interference;  an  interview  of  the 
Shastrh  with  Lord  Reay,  a few  days  later,  on  the 
same  subject:  The  publication  of  an  article  on  the 
Hindu  widow  by  Mr.  Devandranath  Das  in  The 
Nineteenth  Century,  and  another  in  The  Asiatic 
Quarterly  Review  by  Sir  William  Hunter;  the  final 
resolution  of  the  government  of  India  on  Mala- 
bari’s  “notes,”  refusing  legislation  in  October, 
1886:  the  publication  of  the  opinions  of  Hindu 
gentlemen  consulted  on  the  subject  in  the  form 
of  Government  Selections,  in  January,  1887;  the 
attacks  on  Mr.  Malabari  and  Justice  Renade,  by 
some  of  the  Poona  lecturers  in  February;  and  the 

publication  of  opinions  given  to  Mr.  Malabari  in 
226 


What  the  P*.eformers  Have  Done 

the  form  of  a companion  volume  to  the  Govern- 
ment Selections. 

We  must  not  forget  to  mention  the  efforts  of 
Mr.  Madhavdas  Raganathdas,  the  first  Guzerati 
Hindu  to  marry  a widow  in  Bombay;  his  perse- 
cutions from  his  castemen;  his  brave  stand  in 
opening  the  Widow  Remarriage  Hall;  and  his 
financial  help  and  social  protection  of  other 
couples  who  wished  to  remarry.  These  events, 
keeping  up  an  intense  public  interest  in  these 
questions  proposed  for  social  reform,  were  gen- 
erally accentuated  by  the  celebrated  case  of 
Rakhmabai  that  occurred  in  1885,  stirring  all  In- 
dia, and  bringing  into  great  prominence  the 
whole  question  of  child  marriage;  also,  the  form- 
ing of  the  National  Social  Congress  of  India,  held 
for  the  first  time  in  December,  1887,  in  Madras; 
and  public  interest  culminating  in  the  awful  case 
of  Phulmani  Dasi  in  Calcutta.  This  led  to  the 
famous  memorial  of  the  lady  doctors  to  govern- 
ment, which  was  in  itself  a great  public  educator; 
and  the  memorial  of  the  fifteen  hundred  native 
ladies  to  the  Queen;  Mr.  Malabari’s  visit  to  Eng- 
land that  helped  to  rouse  English  public  opinion: 
and  finally  the  passing  of  the  Age  of  Consent 
Bill,  in  1891,  whereby  the  age  of  consent  was 

raised  from  ten  to  twelve,  which  completed  a 
227 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

decade  of  public  agitation  on  the  subject  of  child 
marriage  and  enforced  widowhood  such  as  India 
had  never  seen  before;  and,  we  add  with  sad- 
ness, has  never  seen  since. 


228 


XV 


SINCE  1891 

In  the  preceding  chapter  we  were  able  to  give 
only  the  merest  outline  of  reform  activities,  giv- 
ing only  the  names  of  the  prominent  leaders,  and 
leaving  unmentioned  many  men  whose  names 
are  very  familiar  throughout  India  on  these  sub- 
jects, and  whose  writings  and  words  are  quoted 
as  authoritative.  But  we  would  not  altogether 
overlook  the  individuals,  often  unknown  to  the 
general  public,  and  unsupported  by  any  of  its 
favor,  who  in  personal  matters  have  made  at- 
tempts to  live  out  their  convictions. 

Some  years  ago,  a Brahman  friend  of  ours  kept 
his  little  girl  unmarried  till  she  was  twelve  years 
of  age,  an  unheard  of  thing  at  that  time  in  so 
small  a place.  When  he  desired  to  marry  her,  a 
bridegroom  of  the  kind  he  would  have  liked,  and 
which  his  position  would  have  entitled  him  to 
procure,  could  not  be  found,  as  the  girl  was  too 
old  to  be  an  eligible  match.  So  he  married  her 
to  a boy  of  poor  but  respectable  parentage,  and 
then  had  him  educated  at  his  own  expense. 

We  know  of  a well-known  Bombay  gentle- 
229 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

man  who  kept  his  daughter  unmarried  till  she 
was  sixteen ; and  of  another  marriage  that  was  a 
real  marriage  for  love,  and  an  ideal  one,  and 
which  we  trust  will  prove  an  earnest  of  what  is 
yet  to  be  in  India.  Her  father  was  one  of  India’s 
most  enlightened  men.  She  was  widowed  at 
fifteen.  Three  years  later  an  Indian  gentleman 
saw  her  and  sought  her  hand  in  marriage.  But 
the  parents  and  the  girl  had  not  the  courage  for 
the  difficulties  that  the  remarriage  of  a widow  in 
their  family  would  plunge  them  into.  But  the 
man,  Jacob  like,  waited  patiently  seven  years  for 
his  bride,  and  finally  consent  was  gained.  The 
bride  at  marriage  was  twenty-five  and  the  hus- 
band thirty-five.  It  can  be  said  of  them  that 
“they  were  married  and  lived  happy  ever  after- 
ward;” for  it  has  been  a happy  union. 

After  ten  years  of  wonderful  activity,  the  cur- 
tain dropped  with  the  closing  act,  the  raising  of 
the  age  of  consent,  in  1891.  Since  1892,  the  cur- 
tain has  risen  again  on  different  scenes,  and  with 
different  actors  on  the  stage.  There  is  a very 
evident  retrograde  movement  in  matters  of  social 
reform;  and  matters  political  and  religious  have 
taken  their  place.  Government,  since  passing 
the  Age  of  Consent  Bill,  has  been  intensely  con- 
servative and  disinclined  to  move  in  matters 

230 


Since  1891 

social.  The  Mysore  and  the  Malabar  Marriage 
Bills  have  been  the  only  special  advance  steps. 
The  Madras  Marriage  Bill  unhappily  was  rejected. 
In  place  of  agitation  there  is  on  all  hands  a feel- 
ing of  discouragement  and  conservatism.  Look- 
ing over  the  English  columns  of  the  files  of  a 
number  of  leading  native  journals  in  Western 
India,  for  last  year,  we  found  not  a half  dozen 
references  to  matters  of  social  reform  in  them. 

What  has  been  the  cause  of  all  this  change  of 
front  ? What  has  caused  this  retrograde  move- 
ment ? Up  to  the  close  of  1891-92,  so  much  was 
hoped  from  the  reformers.  Everything  seemed 
ripe  for  a great  movement.  How  did  it  happen 
that  the  reformers  lost  so  great  an  opportunity  ? 

Since  1891,  almost  another  decade  has  been 
completed,  and  we  believe  a key  to  the  situation 
will  be  found  in  reviewing  the  events  of  these 
years. 

In  1894,  came  the  great  and  cruel  religious  riot 
in  Bombay,  between  the  Hindus  and  Mohamme- 
dans; and  the  spirit  it  engendered  throughout 
the  country  between  these  two  races  resulted  in 
one  or  two  smaller  riots  in  other  places.  It  was 
a time  of  great  anxiety,  and  was  probably  treated 
by  government  as  an  illustration  of  what  might 

take  place  if  there  was  legislative  interference 
231 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

with  customs  that  were  held  as  religious  by  the 
people,  no  matter  how  necessary  the  reform 
might  be. 

The  interests  of  the  years  1895-96  were  chiefly 
political.  A great  stir  and  a great  deal  of  feeling 
was  caused  by  the  Exchange  Compensation  Al- 
lowance that  was  sanctioned  by  government  to 
English  officials.  It  was  looked  upon  as  unjust 
to  native  interests.  Then  in  Western  India,  Lord 
Sandhurst,  the  Bombay  Governor,  refused  to 
have  any  further  dealings  with  the  Sarwa  Fanih 
(Universal)  Sabha,  because  some  of  the  signa- 
tures to  a memorial  from  it  to  government  were 
not  genuine.  During  this  period  the  National 
Congress  was  more  influential  than  now,  and 
heavily  criticised  the  government  expenditures 
both  military  and  civil,  which,  it  was  said,  im- 
poverished the  country. 

There  was  also  at  this  time,  in  Western  India, 
a marked  revival  of  the  Gunpati  festival,  which 
had  both  a political  and  religious  significance. 
Mr  Tilak,  the  editor  of  the  Mahratta,  made  a 
public  lament  that  the  place  where  the  body  of 
Shivaji — the  founder  of  the  Mahratta  kingdom — 
had  been  cremated  had  been  allowed  to  go  to 
ruin.  He  upbraided  his  countrymen  for  want  of 

patriotism,  and  suggested  that  it  be  repaired. 

232 


Since  1891 

This  proposal  the  governor  thought  might  be  a 
good  thing,  and  favored  it.  The  anniversary  of 
Shivaji’s  death,  occurring  near  the  Gunpati  festi- 
val, was  incorporated  into  it,  and  both  were  cele- 
brated with  unheard  of  display,  and  also  became 
the  occasion  of  speeches  and  songs,  that,  to  say 
the  least,  were  not  flattering  at  times  to  the  gov- 
ernment. The  religious  element  arose  out  of  the 
riot  of  1894,  when  the  Hindus  determined  if  pos- 
sible, in  the  Gunpati  festival,  to  outrival  the  Mo- 
hammedan Mohorrum  festival.  The  movement 
is  now  dying  away,  but  it  was  an  episode  the 
widespread  impressions  of  which  were  not  alto- 
gether pleasant  or  helpful.  At  the  close  of  1896, 
the  famine,  which  like  a great  vulture  had  been 
hovering  over  the  country  for  many  months, 
finally  settled  down  upon  it. 

In  1897-1898,  the  famine  and  the  plague  over- 
shadowed every  interest;  discouraged,  disheart- 
ened and  paralyzed  all  movements;  and  for  the 
time  quite  engulfed  all  other  questions.  Add  to 
this,  the  distressing  earthquakes  in  Eastern  India; 
the  murder  of  the  two  European  officials,  Mr. 
Rand  and  Lieutenant  Ayerst,  in  Poona;  the  arrest 
of  Mr.  Tilak,  the  editor  of  the  Mahratta  for  se- 
ditious writings;  the  detaining  of  the  Nathu 
brothers  in  custody  without  trial;  the  frontier 

233 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

war;  the  measures  taken  by  government  in  re- 
gard to  the  plague,  which  greatly  irritated  the 
people  and  led  to  another  riot  in  Bombay;  the 
execution  of  Damodar  Hari  Chapakar,  and  the 
recent  arrest  of  his  two  brothers,  and  their  con- 
fessions concerning  the  Poona  murders  which 
have  made  all  parties  shudder;  and,  it  is  feared 
that  the  cold-blooded  murder  of  these  officials 
has  put  back  the  cause  of  national  and  social 
progress  for  a quarter  of  a century.  These 
events  of  the  last  three  years,  with  the  plague 
still  stalking  about  and  threatening  the  whole 
country,  have  absorbed  the  attention  of  the  peo- 
ple and  the  papers,  and  have  so  taken  up  the  at- 
tention of  the  government  that  the  miseries  and 
wrongs  of  woman  have  almost  seemed  forgotten. 

Some  of  these  events  have  had  a most  disas- 
trous effect  on  the  relations  between  the  govern- 
ment and  the  people.  Government  has  suspected 
the  people  of  disloyalty;  and  the  people,  for 
many  causes,  have  been  much  irritated  toward 
government. 

Then  another  cause,  which  these  events  have 
only  accentuated,  has  been  a growing  desire  for 
individuality  as  a nation,  and  to  be  recognized  as 
such  by  the  civilized  nations  of  the  earth.  The 

liberal  Western  Education  that  government  has 
234 


Since  1891 

so  freely  given,  has  been  one  of  the  factors  in 
bringing  this  desire  “ for  a conscious  political 
whole”  into  prominence;  while  contact  with  the 
outside  world  has  made  it  inevitable. 

This  state  of  mind  has  made  possible  the  en- 
trance of  another  disastrous  check  to  social  re- 
form, in  the  beginnings  of  what  is  now  called  a 
“ Hindu  Revival.”  It  has  arisen  from  a variety  of 
causes,  but  the  most  prominent  actor  in  it,  at 
present,  is  Mrs.  Annie  Besant,  an  English  lady, 
who  has  already  passed  through  a variety  of  re- 
ligious beliefs  previous  to  her  present  career. 

On  her  visit  to  India,  in  1893,  we  believe,  she 
is  reported  to  have  said  in  Bangalore  “that  she 
was  a Hindu  in  a former  birth,  and  is  visiting  her 
own  land  after  a sojourn  in  the  west,  where  she 
was  reincarnated  to  know  the  nature  of  material- 
istic civilization  of  the  west;”  and  in  Tinnevelly 
she  is  reported  to  have  said:  “Western  civiliza- 
tion, with  all  its  discoveries  in  science,  is  nothing 
compared  with  Hindu  civilization.” 

In  her  present  visit,  she  has  settled  at  Benares, 
and  has  been  the  means  of  starting  the  Hindu 
college  there.  In  a letter  to  the  Statesman  (Cal- 
cutta), she  speaks  of  the  “religious  revival  in 
which  1 am  myself  sufficiently  fortunate  to  be 

allowed  to  take  a part;”  of  a “truly  national 
235 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

Hindu  education;”  and  of  the  college  she  says: 
‘‘The  movement  is  one  of  national  importance, 
combining  western  culture  and  religious  and 
moral  teaching  according  to  the  Hindu  shastras  ; 
that  the  college  aims  at  reproducing  the  ancient 
type  of  the  Aryan  gentleman;  pious,  dutiful, 
loyal,  strong,  brave  and  industrious;  with  healthy 
body  and  well  balanced  mind.”  The  college  is  a 
fact,  while  the  hope  exists  of  starting  similar 
colleges  all  over  the  country.  Says  the  Indian 
W itness : 

“We  imagine  the  leaders  of  Hindu  society 
must  have  deep  searchings  of  heart  these  days  in 
contemplation  of  the  straits  to  which  their  reli- 
gious and  social  system  is  reduced.  The  hercu- 
lean efforts  of  Mrs.  Besant  to  galvanize  somnolent 
Hinduism  into  some  degree  of  animation  must 
appeal  to  the  sense  of  the  humorous  in  thought- 
ful Hindus.  Imagine  the  situation:  a foreigner, 
a woman/  seeking  to  avert  the  chill  of  death 
from  the  body  politic  of  Hinduism!  k woman 
endeavoring  with  might  and  main  to  extort  from 
apathetic  Hindus  the  funds  with  which  to  start  a 
Hindu  college  which  is  expected,  among  other 
feats,  to  extirpate  all  disloyalty  from  the  bosoms 
of  young  Hindus!  ” 

Then  came  the  arrival  of  Swami  Vevekanand, 
236 


Since  1891 

in  1896,  who  was  received  in  India  as  a conquer- 
ing hero  by  many,  and  his  journey  from  Ceylon 
to  Calcutta  was  a sort  of  triumphal  march.  We 
consider  his  notoriety  a free  and  unsought  gift 
from  the  Parliament  of  Religions  to  India;  for  he 
was  practically  unknown  till  then,  and  the  suc- 
cess he  was  reputed  to  have  achieved  in  the 
West  has  won  him  reverence  here.  Two  dis- 
ciples have  Joined  him.  One,  a Miss  Noble,  said 
to  be  an  American,  and  who  has  recently  been 
advocating  the  worship  of  the  goddess  Kali  in 
Calcutta;  the  other,  a very  recent  arrival;  Miss 
Marie  Louise,  or  Swami  Abhayananda,  a lady 
who  is  said  to  have  had  as  many  spiritual  changes 
as  Mrs.  Besant,  and  who  has  been  described  by 
a native  journal  as  “French  by  extraction,  Amer- 
ican by  domicile,  Shaiva  by  faith,  Vaishnava  in 
neck  ornamentation,  Vendantin  by  philosophy, 
and  a sunnyasin  (ascetic),  in  her  mode  of  life.” 
We  do  not  see  any  public  utterances  on  the 
part  of  these  ladies  concerning  the  condition  of 
the  women  of  India.  Being  ladies,  we  should 
expect  they  would  be  deeply  distressed  at  the 
social  condition  of  women  in  this  country,  and 
the  disabilities  under  which  they  suffer.  We 
should  think  the  first  question  that  would  con- 
front them,  as  they  see  the  situation,  would  be, 
237 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

Why  has  not  this  beautiful  philosophy,  which 
we  have  come  so  far  to  study  on  its  native  soil, 
done  more  for  Hindu  women  ? 

Where  did  these  three  ladies  get  their  freedom, 
their  religious  liberty?  Was  it  from  Hinduism? 
In  December,  1893,  a committee  of  seven  from 
the  Madras  Hindu  Social  Reform  Association 
wrote  Mrs.  Besant,  asking  for  an  interview  to 
obtain  her  views  on  these  social  questions.  She 
replied  that  “any  questions  of  the  important 
character  you  suggest,  could  not  be  wisely  made 
at  an  interview  between  myself  and  a body  of 
gentlemen;  the  memory  of  each  might  easily 
prove  unreliable,  and  so  misunderstanding  and 
controversy  as  to  what  was  said  might  arise.  If 
any  questions  are  submitted  to  me  in  writing,  1 
will  read  them,  and  if  1 wish  to  express  any  opin- 
ion on  any  of  them,  1 will  do  so  also  in  writing.” 

The  gentlemen  renewed  their  request,  promis- 
ing that  they  would  furnish  a competent  short- 
hand reporter  to  take  down  what  was  said,  and 
to  allow  her  to  revise  what  was  written.  They 
also  furnished  her  ten  written  questions  which 
she  might  have  time  to  ponder  over  before  the 
interview,  and  not  be  taken  by  surprise.  This 
Mrs.  Besant  refused  to  do,  saying,  “Hasty  or 

imperfect  expression  of  opinion  on  these  matters 
238 


Since  1891 

is  dangerous,  and  in  a person  whose  views  are  so 
widely  read,  reprehensible.  You  must  therefore 
permit  me  to  choose  my  own  time  and  way  of 
expressing  my  thoughts  on  these  subjects,  and  to 
decline  to  express  them  in  answers  which  would 
necessarily  give  a very  imperfect,  and  therefore 
misleading  idea  of  my  attitude  toward  these 
problems.” 

The  question  began  with  a preamble  stating 
"that  ninety-nine  per  cent,  of  the  Hindu  women 
in  all  castes  are  illiterate.  Among  the  Brahmans, 
girls  are,  on  peril  of  excommunication,  married 
before  they  reach  puberty,  often  very  much  be- 
fore. They  are  married  between  the  ages  of 
three  and  twelve.  Once  a marriage  takes  place 
it  cannot  be  dissolved  under  any  circumstances, 
as  far  as  the  woman  is  concerned.  Thousands 
of  girls  are  widowed  before  they  attain  age,  and 
cannot  re-marry  without  social  ostracism.  In 
some  of  the  non-Brahman  castes  these  conditions 
also  prevail.  Is  the  position  of  women  in  these 
respects  consistent  with  your  conception  of  what 
the  position  of  women  ought  to  be  ? 

2.  Is  it  right  for  a man  to  take  a second  wife 
when  the  first  is  living,  on  the  sole  ground  of  her 
being  childless  ? 

3.  Is  it  proper  that  girls  below  twelve  years 

239 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

of  age  should  be  given  away  in  marriage  by  their 
parents  or  guardians  to  men  of  fifty,  sixty  or 
seventy  years  of  age  ? 

4.  Is  it  desirable  that  a class  of  women  called 
dancing  girls,  who  are  invariably  prostitutes, 
should  be  given  a status  in  Hindu  temples  during 
worship,  and  in  Hindu  homes  on  festive  occa- 
sions, as  singers  or  dancers  ? 

5.  What  do  you  think  of  the  system  prevalent 
in  parts  of  this  country  called  the  zenana-system, 
by  which  women  are  compelled  to  keep  out  of 
sight  of  all  men  except  their  husbands,  and  their 
nearest  male  relatives;  and  are  not  allowed  to 
move  about  except  in  closed  carriages,  or  when 
veiled  from  head  to  foot  ? 

After  two  or  three  other  questions  as  to  caste; 
the  condition  of  low-castes;  and  voyages  by 
Hindus;  the  list  was  closed  with  the  following 
pertinent  question:  “Is  there  any  connection  be- 
tween spiritual  greatness,  and  greatness  in  poli- 
tics, commerce,  literature  and  science;  that  is, 
does  the  latter  depend  on  the  former?  As  they 
are  at  present  situated,  which  of  the  two  countries 
— India  or  England — is  spiritually  superior?  If 
the  former  is  superior  to  the  latter,  how  is  it  that 
Indian  is  inferior  to  England  in  politics,  com- 
merce, literature  and  science?” 

240 


Since  1891 

A month  ago,  one  of  the  seven  told  us  that  as 
yet  no  replies  had  been  received.  Considering 
that  the  condition  of  its  women  is  the  test  of  a 
nation’s  civilization,  we  wonder  at  the  silence. 

In  a recent  London  paper,  in  response  to  the 
question  whether  she  was  a Hindu  or  not, 
Mrs.  Besant  is  represented  as  replying;  that  she 
was  almost  a vegetarian;  and  that  when  she 
lived  in  Benares,  she  lived  as  a Hindu,  excepting 
as  regards  certain  laws  and  restrictions  which 
apply  to  women!  What  better  reply  to  these 
questions  do  we  need  than  this  ? 

We  hear  a great  deal  nowadays,  about  “the 
spiritual  supremacy  of  India,”  and  "the  gross 
materialism  of  western  civilization.”  There  has 
been  a great  stimulus  in  later  years  to  the  study 
of  Sanskrit  literature,  partly  due  to  the  researches 
of  English  Oriental  scholars  and  the  translations 
they  have  made;  and  partly  to  the  enthusiasm 
awakened  by  the  return  of  Vevekanand  from  his 
visit  to  America  and  the  parliament  of  religions. 
Every  year  new  translations  of  the  sacred  books 
into  English  and  the  important  vernaculars  ap- 
pear in  an  increasing  ratio.  There  is  also  much 
talk  of  the  glorious  past  of  the  Aryan  age,  and  of 
a desire  for  a national  religion. 

Says  a recent  Hindu  writer:  "We  do  not  un- 

241 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

derstand  the  claim  of  spiritual  supremacy  that  is 
made  on  behalf  of  India.  Mrs.  Besant,  with  her 
usual  assurance,  proclaims  on  public  platforms 
that  India  has  been  ordained  to  be  the  spiritual 
teacher  of  the  whole  world.  Her  teaching  on 
this  point  is,  that  our  mother-land  was  the  re- 
ligious guru  of  the  world  in  the  past,  and  if  the 
present  generation  of  Hindus  will  accept  her 
teaching,  and  mould  their  actual  lives  by  it,  India 
will  once  again  resume  her  old  position.  . . . 

Was  India  a teacher  of  the  world  in  the  past? 
Was  the  Adwaita  philosophy,  on  which  Mrs. 
Besant’s  teaching  rests,  ever  accepted  by  the 
whole  of  India?  . . . From  the  history  it 
has  been  possible  to  get  out  of  the  mass  of 
Indian  literature,  India  was  at  no  time  an  in- 
tegral whole,  either  politically,  it  seems,  or  spir- 
itually.” 

Another,  an  Indian  writer,  refers  to  this  revival 
of  the  Hindu  religion,  and  asks,  “Is  it  not  a fact 
that  as  the  revivalist  sentiment  has  spread  wider 
in  the  land,  a sort  of  anti-foreign  feeling  has  also 
deepened  ? ” 

In  spite  of  the  absorbing  subjects  of  the  years 
which  we  have  enumerated,  which  have  filled  to 
so  large  extent  the  public  mind,  and  eclipsed  the 

interest  in  the  condition  and  position  of  women, 
^42 


Since  1891 

there  is  still  a root  cause  why  the  reformers  are 
not  more  successful  in  their  efforts,  jlhey  have 
no  moral  motive  power.' 

When  one  uses  the  word  reformer,  the  mind 
instinctively  turns  to  men  like  Wycliffe,  Luther, 
the  Huguenots,  the  sturdy  Hollanders,  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers,  Wilberforce,  Garrison  and  others.  Vi- 
sions of  flame  come  before  us,  enfolding  in  its  fiery 
embrace,  men  like  Latimer,  Ridley  and  Cranmer. 
The  dictionary  says  a reformer  is  one  who  effects 
reform.  How  shall  we  define  the  word  in  its 
usage  in  India  ? It  is  often  applied  to  all  the  edu- 
cated class  indiscriminately.  A man  may  possess 
the  highest  culture,  and  yet  be  far  from  the  ranks 
of  the  reformers.  Some  men  are  prepared  to  suf- 
fer a little  for  the  cause  of  reform,  but  not  too 
much.  Until  Indian  reformers  are  willing  to  suf- 
fer even  to  the  loss  of  all  things  ; to  order  their 
own  lives  according  to  their  convictions  ; to  do 
right  because  it  is  right,  regardless  of  conse- 
quences ; we  do  not  use  the  word  in  its  legitimate 
sense.  Some  one  has  said,  that  India  has  never 
yet  seen  a real  reformer. 

An  instance  of  the  hollowness  of  some  so-called 
reform  is  illustrated  by  the  four  reformatory  meth- 
ods enunciated  a few  years  ago  by  a well-known 

Indian  reformer  in  a public  meeting  : 

243 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

1.  By  the  Shastras.  When  they  agree  with  the  reformers, 
quote  them. 

2.  Interpretation.  Interpret  the  Shastras  so  as  to  make 
them  agree  with  you. 

3.  When  interpretation  fails,  appeal  to  reason  and  con- 
science. 

4.  WTien  that  fails,  ask  for  legislation. 

We  also  have  the  anomaly  of  men  who  are 
M.  A.’s  and  B.  A.’s,  some  of  whom  have  studied 
abroad  and  have  also  travelled  in  other  countries, 
who  are  versed  in  all  the  modern  questions  of  the 
day,  and  yet  some  of  them  have  wives  who  have 
been  mothers  at  twelve  and  thirteen,  a wrong 
against  which  all  present-day  education  and  civi- 
lization must  unceasingly  protest.  We  knew  of 
a government  official,  gentlemanly  and  popular, 
who  drew  a salary  of  five  hundred  rupees  per 
month,  yet  when  he  died  suddenly  in  the  prime 
of  life,  he  left  a young  widow  of  eighteen  who 
had  three  children,  the  eldest  being  five  years  of 
age.  We  do  not  see  how  men  can  ever  be  happy 
or  retain  self-respect,  who  do  not  live  up  to  their 
own  convictions. 

Again,  we  repeat,  that  we  feel  the  reformers 
fail  for  the  lack  of  a moral  motive  power  which 
would  give  them  a spirit  of  real  sacrifice,  true 
courage  and  perseverance,  and  make  them  ex- 
amples of  their  teaching.  A lack  of  conformity 
244 


Since  1891 

to  our  talk  makes  it  useless.  The  Social  Con- 
gress is  accused  of  only  passing  resolutions.  The 
highest  moral  influence  that  can  be  exerted  by 
any  being  is  through  example.  Advice,  precept 
and  sanction,  alt  have  moral  power,  but  are  only 
rendered  operative  by  example.  The  world  has 
this  moral  motive  power  manifested  in  the  atone- 
ment of  Jesus  Christ.  “ God  so  loved  the  world 
that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son  ” for  its  re- 
demption; and  it  is  argued,  “ Hereby  kno'^ 
love,  because  He  laid  down  His  life  for  us;  and 
we  ought  to  lay  down  our  lives  for  the  brethren.” 
The  protest  is  often  made  that  Europeans  are 
not  patient  enough  with  the  reformers,  and  do 
not  understand  their  awful  social  difficulties  and 
complications.  We  believe  we  do  understand 
these  sore  difficulties;  but  we  fear  the  reformers 
will  never  rise  above  them  until  they  come  into 
such  relations  with  God  as  will  enable  them  to 
meet  the  conditions  laid  down  by  Christ  when 
He  said:  “Whosoever  he  be  of  you  that  for- 
saketh  not  all  that  he  hath,  he  cannot  be  My  dis- 
ciple.” “Whosoever  loveth  father  and  mother 
more  than  Me  is  not  worthy  of  Me:  ” and  “ Ex- 
cept a corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die, 
it  abideth  alone,  but  if  it  die  it  bringeth  forth 
much  fruit." 


245 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

Nothing  but  the  love  of  Christ  gives  men 
power  to  suffer  for  others,  and  compensates 
them  for  the  loss  of  all  things.  This  is  the 
moral  motive  power  that  has  made  reformers 
and  martyrs  in  Christian  lands,  and  without 
which  the  reformers  will  never  accomplish  any 
thorough  or  lasting  amendment  in  India. 


246 


XVI 


WHAT  THE  MISSIONARIES  HAVE  DONE 

There  is  a tradition  that  the  apostle  Thomas 
first  brought  the  gospel  to  India.  There  are  three 
places  in  the  neighborhood  of  Madras  that  claim 
his  grave.  The  Syrian  church  on  the  Malabar 
coast  numbering  four  hundred  thousand,  claim 
to  be  the  descendants  of  his  converts  and  of  the 
Syrian  colonists  who  joined  them.  They  stoutly 
cling  to  that  tradition,  and  are  often  called  the 
Christians  of  St.  Thomas.  If  this  tradition  be 
true,  then  the  movement  that  formed  the  Syrian 
church,  or  in  other  words,  Christianity  in  India, 
is  older  than  Christianity  in  England.  Rev. 
George  Rae,  in  his  book,  refutes  this  claim,  and 
asserts  that  the  Syrian  church  is  an  offshoot  of 
the  Nestorian  church  in  Persia,  whose  missiona- 
ries came  to  India  in  the  fifth  century;  thus  mak- 
ing the  Syrian  church  fourteen  centuries  old;  and 
the  missionary,  Thomas,  who  is  said  to  have 
suffered  martyrdom  at  St.  Thomas,  a suburb  of 
Madras,  lived  several  centuries  after  the  apostle. 

About  70  A.  D.,  there  was  a sea-trade  established 

between  Egypt  and  the  Southwest  coast  of  India, 
247 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

famed  for  its  spices.  At  this  time,  the  rulers  of 
the  several  independent  states  of  South  India 
wisely  encouraged  the  settlers  who  came  to 
them  and  enriched  them  in  many  ways.  Some 
Indian  merchants,  probably  Jews,  who  went  to 
Alexandria  in  Egypt  to  sell  their  spices  and 
gems,  found  there  something  far  more  valuable 
— “the  pearl  of  great  price.”  They  became 
acquainted  with  the  way  of  salvation  through 
Jesus  Christ.  A petition  was  addressed  to  the 
Bishop  of  Alexandria,  about  180  a.  d.,  for  a 
Christian  teacher  to  be  sent  to  India,  and  he 
wisely  selected  Pantaenus  for  such  an  important 
field.  How  long  he  was  in  India,  or  how  far 
inland  he  travelled,  or  when  he  returned  to 
Egypt,  is  not  known.  He  found  among  the 
Christians  the  Hebrew  gospel  of  Matthew  which 
formed  the  basis  of  the  present  Greek  gospel. 
About  a century  later,  Theopolis,  surnamed 
Indicus,  visited  India,  where  he  found  Chris- 
tianity already  planted  in  several  places. 

The  year  1500  has  been  fixed  upon  as  the  date 
of  the  founding  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Missions 
in  India,  along  with  the  advent  of  the  Portuguese. 
Vasco  de  Gama  discovered  the  maritime  route  to 
India,  landing  in  Calicut,  May  20th,  1498;  and 

within  the  next  half  century,  the  Portuguese  had 
248 


What  the  Missionaries  Have  Done 

planted  trading  forts  along  the  Northern  coast  of 
India.  With  them  came  the  priests,  but  it  was 
not  till  the  arrival  of  Francis  Xavier,  in  1542,  that 
anything  was  done  beyond  the  limits  of  the 
Portuguese  settlements.  It  was  he  who  gave  the 
great  impulse  to  Roman  Catholic  Missions  in 
India. 

Akbar,  the  Mogul  Emperor,  ascended  the 
throne  in  1556.  One  of  his  wives  is  said  to  have 
been  a Christian.  The  Jesuit  missionaries  went 
as  far  as  Nephaul,  which  they  entered  in  1661. 
There  are  now  Roman  Catholic  missionaries  all 
over  India.  Their  directory  for  1894  gives  the 
number  of  European  (Catholic)  missionaries  in 
India  as  six  hundred  and  nineteen,  while  the 
census  of  1891  gives  the  whole  number  of  Ro- 
man Catholics  of  all  races,  European  and  Indian, 
in  the  whole  of  India  (by  which  we  include  the 
French  and  Portuguese  possessions  as  well  as 
British  India)  as  1,594,901.^ 

The  beginning  of  Protestant  missions  in  India 
came  from  the  heart  of  the  good  king  of  Den- 
mark, who  sent  two  young  Germans,  Ziegenbalg 
and  Plutschau,  to  the  Danish  settlement  at  Tran- 
quebar,  on  the  southeast  coast,  in  1705.  In  1750 

• The  author  is  greatly  indebted  for  these  statements  to  Dr. 
Murdoch’s  History  of  Christianity  in  India. 

249 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

these  brethren  were  followed  by  Schwartz,  one 
of  the  most  useful  men  that  ever  came  to  India. 
“From  the  baptism  of  the  first  convert  in  1707,” 
says  Smith,  “and  the  translation  of  the  New 
Testament  into  Tamil,  till  the  death  of  Schwartz 
in  1798,  the  foundations  were  laid  around  Tan- 
jore,  Madras  and  Tinnevelli  of  a native  church 
that  now  numbers  over  a half  million.”  These 
Danish  missions  were  never  permanent,  but  were 
later  taken  over  by  the  English  agencies.  They 
were  a John  the  Baptist  movement,  “ a voice  in 
the  wilderness,”  that  preceded  the  establishment 
of  our  modern  missions  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. 

During  the  last  year  of  Schwartz’s  life,  God 
was  preparing  another  missionary  who  was  des- 
tined to  begin  a new  era  in  the  history  of  mission 
effort,  not  only  in  India,  but  in  all  lands.  This 
was  William  Carey,  the  founder  of  modern  mis- 
sions. As  he  sat  in  his  work  shop  and  made  and 
mended  shoes,  he  studied  a rude  map  of  his  own 
making  on  the  wall,  and  thought  and  prayed 
how  the  heathen  nations  of  the  earth  might  be 
reached. 

How  little  he  dreamed  of  the  way  in  which 
his  prayers  would  be  answered!  The  East  India 

Company  was  singularly  hostile  to  missionary 
250 


What  the  Missionaries  Have  Done 


effort,  and  claimed  that  their  preaching  would 
create  a rebellion,  so  that  Carey,  when  he  arrived 
in  1793,  had  to  take  refuge  under  the  Danish  flag 
at  Serampore,  thirteen  miles  north  of  Calcutta. 
Some  missionaries  were  not  even  allowed  to 
land.  Wilberforce,  at  the  renewal  of  the  com- 
pany’s charter  in  1793,  tried  to  insert  a clause 

Seconi^^nd 

?iHOEs)|k)l'GHT 

A M-n) 

that  would  make  such  despotic  proceedings  im- 
possible, but  he  did  not  succeed  till  its  renewal 
in  1813,  and  then  in  spite  of  great  opposition. 
“ But  it  was  not  till  1833,”  says  Bishop  Thoburn, 
“that  the  last  restrictions  were  removed,  and 
every  Christian  missionary  in  the  empire  was 
clothed  with  the  freedom  which  is  now  enjoyed 
by  all  persons  bearing  the  Christian  name.” 

Carey  was  a sort  of  John  Knox  to  the  officials 

of  the  East  India  Company,  and  he  did  much  to 
251 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

purify  English  life  in  India;  while  his  letters, 
his  appeals,  his  writings,  his  work  and  his  life, 
were  the  seed  whose  fruitage  we  now  behold, 
and  for  which  we  praise  God.  With  him  the 
English  Baptist  Society  has  the  honor  of  being 
the  first  to  enter  India.  This  was  in  1793.  The 
English  Congregationalists,  or  London  Mis- 
sionary Society  came  in  1798;  the  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society  in  1807;  the  American  Board  in 
1812;  the  American  Baptists  and  English  Metho- 
dists in  1814;  the  Scotch  Presbyterians  in  1830; 
the  American  Presbyterians  in  1834;  the  Irish 
Presbyterians  in  1841;  the  American  Methodists 
in  1856;  and  from  year  to  year  other  societies 
have  entered,  the  largest  societies  of  later  years 
being  the  Christians  and  Missionary  Alliance  in 
1892;  the  Kurku  and  Central  Indian  Hill  Mission 
in  1892;  the  Ceylon  and  Indian  General  Mission 
in  1893;  and  the  Poona  and  Indian  Village  Mis- 
sion in  1895;  in  all  over  seventy  societies  and 
associations.  There  are  2,797  missionaries,  and 
at  a census  in  1890  there  were  648,843  Protestant 
Indian  Christians,  and  if  they  increase  at  the 
ratio  they  did  the  last  decade,  fifty-two  per  cent. ; 
in  1900  there  will  be  over  1,000,000  of  Protes- 
tant Indian  Christians. 

In  view  of  all  this,  we  may  well  ask,  what 
252 


What  the  Missionaries  Have  Done 

have  the  missionaries  done  for  the  women  of 
India  ? 

1.  Through  the  representations  of  Carey  and 
his  fellow-workers,  the  custom  of  throwing  chil- 
dren into  the  Ganges  forever  ceased. 

2.  The  abolition  of  the  Suttee.  Early  in  his 
missionary  life,  Carey  witnessed  the  burning  of  a 
widow.  He  begged  the  woman  not  to  throw 
away  her  life.  “After  remonstrances,”  says  his 
biographer,  “which  the  people  met  first  by 
argument,  and  then  by  surly  threats,  Carey  wrote: 
‘ 1 told  them  1 would  not  go,  that  1 was  determined 
to  stay  and  see  the  murder,  and  that  I would  cer- 
tainly bear  witness  of  it  at  the  tribunal  of  God.’ 
And  when  he  again  sought  to  interfere  because 
the  two  stout  bamboos  always  fixed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  preventing  the  woman’s  escape  were 
pressed  down  on  the  shrieking  woman  like 
levers,  he  adds,  ‘ We  could  not  bear  to  see  more, 
but  left  them,  exclaiming  loudly  against  the  mur- 
der, and  full  of  horror  at  what  we  had  seen.’ 
The  remembrance  of  that  sight  never  left  Carey. 
His  naturally  cheerful  spirit  was  inflamed  to  in- 
dignation all  his  life  through,  till  his  influence, 
more  than  that  of  any  other  one  man,  at  last  pre- 
vailed to  put  out  Jorever  the  flames  of  the  mur- 
derous pyre." 


253 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

He  and  his  fellow-workers  spared  no  labor. 
They  enlightened  the  minds  of  the  English  and 
Indian  public  on  the  subject  ; statistics  were  care- 
fully gathered;  with  the  help  of  his  pundit  he 
searched  the  Hindu  shastras,  and  the  results  of 
his  researches  were  laid  before  the  government, 
and  the  recent  enactment  prohibiting  the  sacrifice 
of  children  was  quoted  as  a precedent  for  further 
reform.  Had  Lord  Wellesley  remained  Governor- 
General  a year  longer,  Carey  would  have  suc- 
ceeded in  1808.  But  he  had  to  wait  twenty  long 
years,  and  as  ‘‘he  waited  and  prayed,  every  day 
saw  the  devilish  smoke  ascending  along  the  banks 
of  the  Ganges.”  In  1829,  when  Lord  Bentinck’s 
prohibition  was  ready  to  be  published  among  the 
people,  the  crown  of  all  Carey’s  efforts  was  the 
privilege  of  translating  it  into  Bengali.  He  is 
said  to  have  been  preparing  his  Sunday  sermon 
for  the  afternoon  when  it  was  handed  to  him. 
He  sent  for  another  to  do  his  preaching,  and  tak- 
ing his  pen  in  his  hand,  wrote  the  official  trans- 
lation, and  had  it  issued  in  the  Bengali  Gaiette, 
that  not  another  day  might  be  added  to  the  long 
black  catalogue  of  many  centuries. 

3.  During  the  agitation  over  the  Bill  for  rais- 
ing the  Age  of  Consent,  the  awful  case  of  Phul- 

mani  Dasi  occurred  at  Calcutta.  An  American 
254 


What  the  Missionaries  Have  Done 

medical  missionary,  Mrs.  Mansell,  seized  the  op- 
portunity, got  up  a petition  to  government  in 
which  were  cited  a number  of  similar  and  almost 
equally  awful  cases  that  had  come  under  the 
notice  of  different  lady  practitioners,  and  this  pe- 
tition was  signed  by  nearly  all  the  lady  doctors  in 
India,  the  majority  of  whom  were  missionaries, 
with  the  result  that  it  greatly  aided  in  forming 
public  opinion,  and  helped  to  win  the  day. 

4.  Missionaries,  from  the  beginning,  have 
greatly  moulded  public  opinion  upon  all  phases  of 
the  treatment  of  women;  and  perhaps  eternity 
alone  will  reveal  the  influence  that  the  home-life 
and  the  lives  of  lady  missionaries  have  had  in  this 
respect. 

5.  Missionaries  have  been  the  pioneers  and  the 
chief  promoters  of  education  for  women  in  India. 
This  fact  is  generously  and  unreservedly  conceded 
by  government  and  all  Indians.  To  Mrs.  Han- 
nah Marshman  belongs  the  honor  of  having 
started  the  first  effort.  She  established  a day- 
school  for  girls  in  1807.  In  1819,  a company  of 
young  Eurasians  who  had  been  educated  by  the 
Baptist  missionary  ladies,  formed  a society  for 
the  education  of  Indian  women;  and  in  three 
years  they  had  six  schools  and  one  hundred  and 

sixty  pupils.  What  became  of  this  juvenile  so- 
255 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

ciety  we  do  not  know;  but  we  believe  it  to  have 
been  an  earnest  of  what  God  meant  to  have 
done  through  this  race  for  India. 

In  i8i8,  the  Calcutta  School  Society  was  started, 
and  was  composed  of  both  Europeans  and  In- 
dians, They  were  appalled  at  the  fact  that,  among 
the  40,000,000  women  that  then  constituted  British 
India,  only  about  one  woman  in  100,000  could 
read;  and,  in  1819,  they  appealed  to  the  London 
British  and  Foreign  School  Society  to  send  out  a 
lady  to  form  a school  for  training  female  teachers 
for  further  effort.  William  Ward  of  Serampore 
was  at  home  when  the  appeal  reached  London, 
and  added  his  influence  to  it.  A Miss  Cooke 
heard  him  make  an  appeal  to  the  ladies  of  Liver- 
pool, and  volunteered  for  the  work,  reaching 
Calcutta  in  1821.  Her  work  was  changed  and 
precipitated  very  soon  after  her  arrival  by  a 
touching  incident. 

On  January  25th,  1822,  as  she  was  going  to 
one  of  the  boys’  schools  to  improve  her  pronun- 
ciation, she  saw  a little  girl  outside  the  school- 
room crying.  On  inquiry,  she  found  that  the 
child  had  for  three  months  besieged  the  master 
with  her  desire  to  be  taught,  only  to  be  driven 
away.  This  so  moved  Miss  Cooke  that,  the  next 

day,  she  started  a girls’  school.  The  work 
256 


What  the  Missionaries  Flave  Done 

spread  rapidly,  until  in  1825,  thirty  schools  had 
been  formed  with  four  hundred  pupils.  Both 
Lady  Hastings,  the  wife  of  the  Governor-General 
at  that  time,  and  her  successor.  Lady  Amherst, 
took  the  deepest  interest  in  these  schools.  It  is 
said  that  the  Marchioness  of  Hastings,  in  her  zeal, 
traversed  the  gullies  and  back  streets  of  the  city 
in  which  some  of  the  schools  were  situated,  and 
thereby  produced  a great  impression  on  all  classes. 

At  this  time,  1825,  the  wives  of  the  American 
Board  missionaries  in  Bombay  opened  a similar 
work;  and,  four  years  later,  they  were  followed 
by  Mrs.  Stevenson  and  Mrs.  Margaret  Wilson. 
Because  the  Mahratta  people  are  not  hampered 
by  the  zenana,  and  the  Parsees  by  caste,  the 
work  here,  for  a time,  seemed  to  make  greater 
strides  than  elsewhere,  and  was  an  encourage- 
ment to  other  parts  of  India. 

In  the  different  presidencies,  too,  boarding- 
schools  for  Indian  Christian  girls  were  started; 
also  orphanages,  which  are  continually  multiplied 
over  India  by  the  periodical  famines  that  occur, 
and  orphan  and  render  homeless  thousands  of 
children. 

But  to  return  to  Calcutta.  The  day-schools  for 
Hindu  girls  had  only  touched  the  lower  castes. 

How  were  the  upper-class  ladies  hidden  behind 
257 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

the  purdah  in  the  zenanas  ever  to  be  reached, 
was  the  constant  burden  on  many  hearts.  In 
1840,  Mr.  T.  Smith  of  the  Free  Church  Mission, 
proposed  a scheme  for  the  home  education  of 
women  of  the  upper  classes,  but  at  that  time  it 
met  with  no  practical  response.  In  1850,  Hon. . 
Drinkwater  Bethune,  a member  of  the  Legislative 
Council,  opened  the  Bethune  Institution  at  his 
own  expense;  provided  a closed  carriage  to 
bring  the  girls  to  and  from  their  homes  to  the 
school;  paid  fora  lady  superintendent;  prom- 
ised that  no  Christianity  should  be  taught;  and 
hoped  by  this  to  reach  many  of  this  class.  For 
many  years  it  was  not  very  prosperous,  and 
could  not  have  been.  Here  and  there,  in  isolated 
instances,  missionary  ladies  taught  the  families 
of  the  more  liberal-minded  men.  Some  of  them 
taught  their  own  families;  English  education  be- 
gan to  spread;  and  interesting  incidents  were 
constantly  occurring  that  added  momentum  to 
the  slowly  accumulating  public  opinion  on  the 
subject. 

Soon  after  the  establishment  of  the  Bethune 
Institution  a thrilling  event  occurred:  “The 

highly  educated  son  of  an  influential  Hindu  gen- 
tleman had  privately  instructed  his  gifted  young 

wife,  with  whom  he  read,  among  other  books, 
258 


What  the  Missionaries  Have  Done 


the  English  Bible.  He  was  under  promise  to  his 
mother  never  to  become  a Christian:  but  he  read 
the  Scriptures  because  they  were  interesting  as 
an  historical  study.  The  entrance  of  the  Word 
gave  light  to  the  heart  of  the  young  wife,  and 
she  besought  her  husband  to  accept  Christ  as  his 
Saviour.  A widowed  cousin  of  fourteen  read 
with  them,  and  she  also  believed,  but  the  hus- 
band resisted.  The  young  wife  grieved  and 
died — died  trusting  in  Jesus  for  salvation, — the 
husband’s  heart  yielded  and  he  and  the  cousin 
were  baptized.  These  conversions  made  a deep 
impression  on  Christian  hearts,  and,  combined 
with  other  circumstances,  led  to  effective  effort 
which  took  the  form  of  founding  an  institution 
for  training  the  daughters  of  Eurasian  parents 
born  in  India  and  familiar  with  the  language.  It 
was  believed  that  such  teachers  for  Hindu  ladies 
would  ere  long  be  needed,  though  at  that  time 
they  were  still  inaccessible.”  ‘ In  1852  the  Cal- 
cutta Normal  School  was  established. 

In  1854,  Rev.  John  Fordyce,  of  the  Free  Church 
Mission,  enthusiastically  took  up  a scheme  for 
zenana  education.  He  persuaded  two  or  three 
Hindu  gentlemen  to  open  their  houses  to,  and  to 
pay  for,  the  instructions  of  his  ablest  teacher, 

• The  Wotnen  of  India,  by  Mrs.  Weitbrecht. 

259 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

a European  governess  who  knew  Bengali  per- 
fectly. He  also  printed  “a  series  of  fly-leaves 
which  were  widely  circulated  throughout  India. 
They  contained  short,  strong  and  striking  ap- 
peals to  Hindu  husbands  and  fathers,  and  pro- 
duced an  impression  which  deepened  year  by 
year;  so  that,  at  first  one  by  one,  and  afterward 
in  increasing  ratio,  zenana  doors  flew  open  until 
the  question  became,  how  to  supply  laborers,  in- 
stead of  how  to  get  in.”^  Mrs.  Sale,  Mrs.  Mul- 
lens and  other  devoted  ladies  developed  the 
scheme  by  their  special  fitness  for  it. 

In  i86i,  “The  India  Normal  School  and  In- 
struction Society  ” was  formed  in  London,  to 
cooperate  with  the  ladies  in  Calcutta;  and  in 
1862  sent  out  its  first  zenana  missionary.  In  the 
same  year  Miss  Brittian  came  from  New  York  to 
Calcutta,  the  representative  of  the  Women’s 
Missionary  Union,  an  undenominational  Ladies’ 
Society  for  work  among  women.  “ In  ten  years 
she  reported  eight  hundred  women  under  the  in- 
struction of  the  missionaries  of  that  society, 
while  nearly  seventeen  hundred  were  being 
taught  by  missionary  ladies  of  other  socie- 
ties.” ’ 

> The  IVomen  of  India,  by  Mrs.  Weitbrecht. 

® The  Orient  and  its  People,  by  Mrs.  Hauser. 

260 


What  the  Missionaries  Have  Done 


The  result  has  been  truly  phenomenal.  In  a 
quarter  of  a century  from  that  day,  nearly  all  the 
Woman’s  Boards  and  Societies  especially  en- 
gaged in  work  for  women  were  formed,  and 
zenana  instruction  became  a part  of  the  work  of 
almost  every  mission.  Dr.  Duff’s  constant  theory 
had  always  been  that  a generation  of  educated 
men,  that  is  educated  after  the  English  model, 
must  be  the  precursor  of  a generation  of  educated 
women,  “and,”  says  his  biographer,  “even  1850 
was  the  day  of  small  things  in  girls’,  as  1830  had 
been  in  boys’  education  in  Bengal,  but  the  boys 
of  1830  had  become  the  fathers  of  1850,  and 
made  the  time  ripe  for  advance.” 

In  1830  Dr.  Duff  opened  an  institution  in 
Calcutta,  in  which  English  was  taught  instead  of 
Sanskrit  and  Arabic,  as  in  the  government  col- 
leges. Lord  Macaulay,  then  in  India,  adopted 
Dr.  Duff’s  views  and  did  much  to  put  education 
in  India  on  its  present  basis. 

The  despatch  of  Sir  Charles  Wood,  in  1854, 
marks  an  important  epoch  in  Indian  education. 
Complete  Educational  Departments  were  to  be 
organized,  and  a national  system  to  be  com- 
menced. In  1857,  the  Universities  of  Calcutta, 
Madras,  and  Bombay  were  founded;  to  which 

the  Punjab  University  was  added  in  1882,  and 
261 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

the  Allahabad  University  in  1887.  These  are 
simply  examining  bodies. 

A network  of  schools  has  been  extended  over 
the  whole  country,  rising  gradually  from  in- 
digenous schools  to  the  highest  colleges.  Mis- 
sionaries were  the  inspiration  to  government 
for  establishing  girls’  schools,  as  well  as  to  Indian 
effort. 

Miss  Carpenter  first  visited  India  in  1866,  and 
urged  government  to  open  training  schools  for 
the  training  of  mistresses  for  girls’  schools.  This 
they  did,  but  they  were  not  all  a success.  She 
also  originated  the  National  Indian  Association 
which  seeks  to  foster  and  help  private  efforts  for 
female  education  as  one  of  its  objects.  The 
Parsees  control  their  own  schools  for  their  girls. 
They  have  seven  high  schools  in  Bombay. 
There  are  only  two  or  three  B.  A.’s  among  them, 
and  about  a dozen  lady  graduates  from  medical 
colleges.  About  seventy-seven  per  cent,  of  the 
girls  can  read. 

As  an  evangelizing  agency,  we  feel  that  the 
high  hopes  of  Dr.  Duff  and  the  promoters  of 
zenana  education  have  never  been  realized;  and 
that,  sooner  or  later,  education  will  pass  into  the 
hands  of  government  and  the  Hindus  them- 
selves, and  missionaries  will  largely  confine  their 
262 


LUCKNOW  COLLEGK 


What  the  Missionaries  Have  Done 

efforts  to  the  education  and  training  of  the  ever 
increasing  number  of  Christian  young  men  and 
women,  though  such  non-Christians  as  prefer  a 
Christian  school  will  not  be  refused. 

It  would  require  a separate  volume  to  write 
the  history  of  female  education  in  India  as  it 
should  be  written.  We  must  omit  much  that 
is  deeply  interesting,  skip  over  many  years,  and 
give  a peep  at  the  present  situation.  It  is  need- 
less to  say  that  the  Christians,  though  the  fifth 
race  in  India,  have  led  the  way  in  all  matters  of 
female  education;  and  the  Parsees,  the  smallest 
of  the  Indian  races,  come  next. 

There  are  two  Christian  Colleges  for  women 
in  India,  the  Lucknow  College  in  North  India, 
an  institution  of  the  American  Methodist  Mis- 
sion; and  the  Sarah  Tucker  College  in  Palam- 
cottah.  South  India,  under  the  Church  Missionary 
Society.  There  are  a number  of  high  schools 
with  college  classes.  Of  the  Lucknow  College, 
Miss  Thoburn  its  founder  and  principal,  says: 
"There  were,  here  and  there,  Christians  in  good 
circumstances  whose  sons  were  studying  in  high 
schools  and  colleges,  reading  and  talking  Eng- 
lish, and  living  in  touch  with  the  new  life  of  the 
empire.  They  asked  for  a school  where  their 

daughters  might  have  like  opportunities.  Some 
263 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

of  them  lived  in  remote  places,  hence  a boarding 
school  was  necessary.  They  were  not  rich,  but 
had  money  enough  to  pay  boarding  fees  and  all 
incidental  expenses.  We  opened  the  school  for 
such  children.  The  mission,  with  a grant  from 
government,  has  paid  for  teachers  and  build- 
ings.” This  school  is  ideal  in  that  it  has  received 
all  pupils  sent  without  regard  to  race  or  lan- 
guage; and  has  combined  in  one  happy  family, 
Hindustani,  Bengali,  English  and  Eurasian  girls; 
while  all  are  trained  to  work  for  Christ.  This 
school  is  alfiliated  with  the  Allahabad  University, 
and  the  Sarah  Tucker  with  the  Madras  Univer- 
sity. 

The  Bethune  Institution,  formed  in  1850,  be- 
came in  1879  Bethune  College,  and  is  affiliated 
with  the  Calcutta  University  in  Arts  up  to  the 
B.  A.  standard ; and  is  the  only  fully  equipped  col- 
lege in  Bengal  for  the  higher  education  of 
women.  Its  principal  is  Miss  Chandra  Bose,  an 
Indian  Christian  lady,  a B.  A.  and  M.  A.  It  is 
not  a religious  but  a government  institution,  and 
the  number  of  students  average  from  twenty- 
five  to  thirty  girls.  There  are  two  lady  gradu- 
ates on  the  staff  of  teachers,  in  charge  of  such 
subjects  as  English  literature,  mental  and  moral 

science,  ancient  and  modern  history,  and  bot- 
264 


What  the  Missionaries  Have  Done 

any.  It  has  not  been  possible  yet  to  carry  on  the 
■work  without  the  cooperation  of  gentlemen  lec- 
turers. Twenty  young  ladies  have  graduated 
from  the  college  with  the  degree  of  B.  A.,  three 
of  whom  have  taken  the  degree  of  M.  A.  from 
the  Calcutta  University,  and  two  from  the  Alla- 
habad University.  Forty-three  passed  the  first 
examination  in  arts.  Of  all  these  young  ladies, 
none  are  Mohammedan;  about  one-half  being 
Bengali  Christians,  and  the  other  half  Hindu  girls 
of  the  Brahmo  Somaj. 

Then  there  is  the  Maharajah’s  College  for  girls 
in  Travandum,  in  the  native  state  of  Travancore. 
There  are  many  excellent  high  schools  through- 
out the  country.  The  majority  are  missionary 
institutions.  A few  were  started  by  govern- 
ment, and  a number  are  private  enterprises.  A 
number  of  these  high  schools  have  college 
classes,  and  may,  at  no  distant  day,  blossom  into 
full-blown  colleges.  To  some  of  these,  like  the 
Dehra  Dun  High  School,  (American  Presbyterian 
Mission)  which  has  had  a career  of  forty  years, 
and  the  Ahmednagar  High  School  (American 
Board  Mission)  and  others,  we  are  indebted  for 
some  of  our  best  Christian  women. 

The  most  unique  Hindu  school  that  we  know 
of,  is  the  Maharani’s  Caste  girls’  school  in 

265 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

Mysore  (a  native  state).  It  has  at  present  an  ex- 
missionary lady  as  principal.  Four  Brahman 
girls  from  it  have  passed  the  entrance  examina- 
tion of  the  Madras  University.  It  is  a high 
school,  and  is  steadily  working  up  into  a college, 
having  this  year  a college  class  of  two  girls  ; but 
caste  and  early  marriage  will  no  doubt  be  for 
some  time  yet  a great  hindrance.  This  school 
closed  last  year  with  an  enrollment  of  three  hun- 
dred and  eighty-six  students.  Of  these,  thirty- 
two  were  widows,  besides  eight  widow  teachers 
— all  Brahmans!  The  majority  of  the  girls  above 
the  fourth  class  are  mothers,  as  are  almost  all  the 
widows.  In  fact  almost  all  the  girls,  except  the 
infant  classes,  are  married.  The  school  edits  a 
paper  in  Canarese  and  English.  The  school  is  of 
purely  Indian  enterprise  and  management,  and  a 
more  interesting  school,  considering  the  social 
conditions  of  India,  it  would  be  difficult  to 
find. 

Then  there  is  the  Victoria  High  School  in 
Poona,  the  founder  and  principal  being  an  Indian 
Christian  lady — Mrs.  Sorabjee.  It  is  an  English 
school  that  receives  all  races,  Hindus,  Moham- 
medans, Parsees,  Jews  and  English;  and  has 
been  a great  success.  Ramabai’s  High  School 

for  widows,  and  her  farm  school  for  her  orphan 
266 


What  the  Missionaries  Have  Done 

widows,  are  too  well  known  to  need  comment. 
Miss  Chakarbulty,  another  Indian  Christian  lady, 
has  an  orphanage  in  Allahabad  gathered  out  of 
the  late  famine,  for  the  entire  support  of  which 
she  depends  upon  her  trust  in  God. 

We  must  not  omit  to  mention  the  American 
Board  High  School  for  Christian  children  in 
Bombay,  which  was  the  first  attempt  at  coedu- 
cation on  a large  scale  ever  made  in  India.  Here 
and  there  is  an  Indian  Christian  girl,  or  a Hindu 
or  Parsee  girl,  who  is  brave  enough  to  present 
herself  at  the  doors  of  some  young  men’s  col- 
lege, and  to  finish  her  course  of  study  in  it ; the 
forerunners  of  a great  movement  in  that  direc- 
tion. Besides  these  schools  are  thousands  of 
primary  schools.  The  few  are  in  the  upper 
schools,  the  many  in  the  primary.  Great  difficul- 
ties have  yet  to  be  continually  dealt  with,  either 
in  the  apathy  or  the  opposition  of  the  people,  in 
caste,  and  in  child  marriage,  which  causes  most 
girls  to  leave  school  at  ten  or  twelve  years  of 
age;  and  with  the  majority  of  these  their  educa- 
tion ends  there. 

The  Indian  universities — all  honor  to  them, — 
were  in  advance  of  those  of  England  in  opening 
examinations  and  degrees  to  women.  An  Indian 

Christian  girl.  Miss  Chandra  Bose  was  the  first  to 
267 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

appear,  and  passed  her  entrance  examination  in 
1876.  Sixteen  years  afterward,  four  hundred 
and  seventy  girls  had  followed  her.  Up  to  1899, 
in  the  Madras  presidency  alone,  two  young  ladies 
have  passed  the  B.  A.  examination,  and  both  are 
Indian  Christians;  twenty-five  have  passed  the 
F.  A.  examination,  of  whom  twenty  are  Euro- 
peans and  Eurasians,  and  five  are  Indian  Chris- 
tians; three  hundred  and  nine  have  passed  the 
matriculation  (entrance)  examination,  of  whom 
one  is  a Mohammedan,  four  are  Brahmans,  six 
are  Parsees,  seventy-one  are  Indian  Christians, 
and  two  hundred  and  twenty-seven  Europeans 
and  Eurasians. 

We  praise  God  for  all  the  progress  that  has 
been  made,  but  a few  simple  figures  from  the 
educational  report  of  1897-98  show,  after  all,  how 
slowly  we  have  gone,  and  how  much  land  there 
■ is  yet  to  be  possessed.  Only  six  women  in 
one  thousand  in  all  India  can  read,  or  0.6  per 
cent. 

6.  But  the  greatest  work  that  has  been  wrought 
by  the  missionaries  for  women,  and  without 
which  they  would  count  all  the  rest  as  naught, 
has  been  that  they  have  brought  thousands  of 
India’s  women  to  know  Christ  as  their  Saviour; 

a work  that  will  abide  through  all  eternity,  and 
268 


What  the  Missionaries  Have  Done 


for  which  many  have  gladly  laid  down  their 
lives.* 

* By  tables  sent  in  from  the  different  universities,  (and  they 
were  not  all  tabulated  quite  alike),  we  find  that  since  the  uni- 
versities have  opened  their  examinations  to  women,  up  to  1899, 
one  thousand  three  hundred  and  six  women  have  passed  the 
matriculation  or  entrance  examination.  Of  these  about  three 
hundred  and  sixty-seven  are  native  Christians,  twenty-seven 
Hindus,  one  Mohammedan,  seven  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
European  or  Eurasian ; the  remainder  being  divided  between 
other  nationalities ; and  thirty-eight  are  returned  as  having 
passed  the  B.  A.  examination. 


269 


XVII 


THE  REAL  DIFFICULTY 

The  keys  to  the  wrongs  of  Indian  women  are 
Mohammedanism  and  Hinduism.  What  we  have 
roughly  outlined  in  preceding  chapters,  is  the  best 
that  Mohammedanism  and  Hinduism  can  do  for 
women.  As  long  as  the  Koran  is  obeyed,  the 
lenana  and  polygamy  will  continue  to  exist 
among  Mohammedans.  The  former  is  com- 
manded by  the  prophet,  and  the  latter  permitted; 
for  a Mohammedan  can  have  four  wives  at  one 
time,  and  yet  obey  the  Koran  and  be  a pious 
Mussulman.  It  has  even  been  contended  by  some 
writers  that  the  Koran  allows  no  place  in  heaven 
for  women.  This  is  not  the  case,  but,  says  Muir, 
“the  condition  fixed  by  Mahomet  for  women  is 
that  of  a dependent,  inferior  creature,  destined 
only  for  the  service  of  her  lord,  and  liable  to  be 
cast  off  without  the  assignment  of  any  reason.” 
But  arbitrary  divorce  is  not  the  only  privilege  (?) 
man  has.  In  Sura  IV.  it  is  written:  “ Men  stand 
above  women,  because  of  the  superiority  which 
God  hath  conferred  on  one  of  them  over  the  other, 

and  because  of  that  which  they  expend  of  their 
270 


The  Real  Difficulty 

wealth.  Therefore  let  the  good  women  be  obe- 
dient, preserving  their  purity  in  secret  in  that 
wherein  God  preserveth  them.  But  such  as  ye 
may  fear  disobedience  (or  provocation)  from,  re- 
buke them,  and  put  them  away  in  separate  apart- 
ments and  chastise  {or  beat)  them.  But  if  they 
be  obedient  unto  you,  seek  not  against  them  an 
excuse  (or  severity):  verily  God  is  lofty  and 
great.” 

The  tenet  of  Hinduism,  that  if  a woman  pleases 
her  husband  she  pleases  the  gods  ; seems  also  to 
prevail  to  some  extent  among  Mohammedans. 

A personal  friend  well  illustrates  this  with  the 
following  story  of  a conversation  she  held  with  a 
Mohammedan  widow : “ Our  conversation  led  to 
the  inequalities  between  men  and  women,  es- 
pecially among  the  Mohammedans.  The  widow 
said  it  was  a woman’s  chief  business  to  please 
her  husband,  even  if  he  were  a bad  man;  and 
that  by  so  doing,  she  would  please  God.  Then 
she  told  me  the  following  story:  ‘ A woman  was 
seen  sitting  half  in  the  sun  and  half  in  the  shade, 
while  by  her  side  were  some  broken  bricks,  a 
stick  and  a rope,  and  some  cold  and  hot  water  in 
different  vessels.  Some  one,  (Mahomet’s  daugh- 
ter, we  think),  asked  her  why  she  was  sitting 

half  in  the  shade,  and  half  in  the  sun.  She  an- 
271 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

swered  that  her  husband  was  a grass-cutter  and 
she  could  not  tell  whether  in  cutting  his  grass  he 
was  at  that  time  in  the  sun  or  in  the  shade,  but 
whichever  it  was,  she  wanted  to  sympathize  with 
him,  and  so  felt  both  heat  and  cold  at  the  same 
time.  She  also  added  in  explanation  that  she  did 
not  know  which  he  would  prefer  on  his  return 
hot  or  cold  water,  so  she  had  both  ready.  Also 
if  he  were  in  a bad  temper,  and  wished  to  beat 
her,  he  would  choose  between  the  stick  and  the 
rope,  or  throw  the  pieces  of  brick  at  her.’  The 
prophet  hearing  this,  replied  that  she  was  truly  a 
good  woman,  and  deserved  to  go  to  heaven.” 

On  the  other  hand,  Hinduism,  which  is  the 
greater  oppressor  of  women  of  the  two  religions, 
is  the  great  interpreter  of  these  wrongs.  “The 
yedas  are  believed  by  the  devout  Hindus  to  be 
the  eternal,  self-existing  word  of  God,  revealed 
by  Him  to  the  different  sages.  Besides  the  K edas 
there  are  more  than  twenty-five  books  of  sacred 
law,  ascribed  to  different  authors,  who  wrote  or 
compiled  them  at  various  times,  and  on  which 
are  based  the  principal  customs  and  religious  in- 
stitutes of  the  Hindus.  Among  these,  the  code 
of  Manu  ranks  highest,  and  is  held  by  all  to  be 
very  sacred,  second  to  none  but  the  them- 

selves. Although  Manu  and  the  different  law- 
272 


RKADINK  OK  THK  SIIASTRAS 


The  Real  Difficulty 

givers  differ  greatly  on  many  points,  they  all 
agree  on  things  concerning  women."  * 

Says  Dr.  Wilson:  “Much  of  the  favor  shown 
to  women  by  the  Hindu  shastras — when,  indeed, 
they  do  show  her  favor — is  founded  on  the  low 
idea  that  she  is  the  property  of  man,  as  his  ox  or 
his  ass.  It  is  on  this  understanding,  and  that  she 
may  bear  to  him  a son,  without  whom,  natural 
or  adopted,  he  can  have  no  salvation;  that  her 
life  is  to  be  preserved;  and  that  she  is  to  have 
that  degree  of  comfort  which  may  be  allotted  to 
her.  Her  general  debasement,  according  to  the 
Hindu  shastras,  is  extreme.” 

Ramabai  confirms  this  by  saying:  “ The  wife 

is  declared  to  be  the  ‘ marital  property  ’ of  her 
husband,  and  is  classed  with  ‘cows,  mares, 
female  camels,  slave-girls,  buffalo-cows,  she- 
goats  and  ewes.”  (See  Manu  ix.  48-51.)  But 
she  adds,  in  regard  to  the  favorable  passages: 
“ These  commandments  are  significant.  Our 
Aryan  Hindus  did,  and  still  do  honor  women  to  a 
certain  extent.  Although  the  woman  is  looked 
upon  as  an  inferior  being,  she  is  the  queen  of  her 
son’s  household,  wields  great  power  there,  and 
is  generally  obeyed  as  the  head  of  the  family  by 
her  sons,  and  her  daughters-in-law.” 

• The  High  Caste  Hindu  Woman,  by  Ramabai. 

273 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

Says  Dr.  Wilson  again;  “ Of  the  original  con- 
stitution of  woman,  as  distinguished  from  that  of 
man,  the  Hindu  sages  and  legislators,  the  authors 
of  the  Hindu  sacred  books,  have  thus  written: 
‘ Falsehood,  cruelty,  bewitchery,  folly,  covetous- 
ness, impurity,  and  unmercifulness  are  woman’s 
inseparable  faults.’  ‘ Woman’s  sin  is  greater  than 
that  of  man,’  and  cannot  be  removed  by  the 
atonements  which  destroy  his;  ‘ women  are  they 
who  have  an  aversion  to  good  works; ’ ‘women 
have  hunger  twofold  more  than  men;  intelli- 
gence (cunning)  fourfold;  violence,  sixfold; 
and  evil  desires,  eightfold.’  ‘Through  their 
evil  desires,  their  want  of  settled  affection,  and 
their  perverse  nature,  let  them  be  guarded  in  this 
world  ever  so  well;  they  soon  become  alienated 
from  their  husbands.  Manu  allotted  to  such 
women  a love  of  their  bed,  of  their  seat,  and  of 
ornaments,  impure  appetites,  wrath,  weak  flexi- 
bility, desire  of  mischief  and  bad  conduct. 
Women  have  no  business  with  the  text  of  the 
yedas.  This  is  the  law  fully  settled.  Having 
therefore  no  evidence  of  law,  and  no  knowledge 
of  expiatory  texts,  sinful  women  must  be  as  foul 
as  falsehood  itself,  and  this  is  a fixed  rule.  To  this 
effect,  many  texts  which  may  show  their  true 

disposition  are  chanted  in  the  l^edas.’  (Manu  ix. 

274 


The  Real  Difficulty 

i8,  19.)  It  will  be  observed  that  it  is  \htsex,  and 
not  the  race,  that  is  here  condemned.  The  idea 
that  woman  is  a help-meet  for  man,  seems  never 
to  have  entered  into  the  minds  of  the  Hindu 
sages.  They  uniformly  treat  her  as  a necessary 
evil,  and  a most  dangerous  character.  Her  posi- 
tion, according  to  them,  is  that  of  a continuous 
slavery  and  dependence.  ‘ They  enjoin  that  by  a 
girl,  or  by  a young  woman,  or  by  a woman  ad- 
vanced in  years,  nothing  must  be  done,  even  in  her 
own  dwelling-place,  according  to  her  mere  pleas- 
ure; in  childhood  a female  must  be  dependent  on 
(or  subject  to)  her  father;  in  youth,  on  her  hus- 
band : her  lord  being  dead,  on  her  sons : a woman 
must  never  seek  independence.’  (Manu  v.  158.) 

“ The  Hindu  shastras  have  made  no  provisions 
of  affection  and  regard  for  a daughter.  She  is 
viewed  by  them,  as  far  as  her  parents  are  con- 
cerned, merely  as  an  object  to  be  'given  away,’ 
and  that  as  soon  as  possible.  She  is  declared  by 
them  to  be  marriageable,  even  in  her  infancy,  to 
a person  of  any  age;  and  of  course  without  her 
own  choice,  or  intelligent  consent.  . . . Ac- 

cording to  the  letter  of  the  law,  the  parents  are 
not  to  sell  their  daughters,  but  they  may  receive 
valuable  gifts,  the  equivalent  of  a price,  on  her 
behalf.  (Manu  iii.  51.) 

275 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

“The  Hindu  wife  is  placed  under  the  absolute 
will  of  her  lord,  without  any  reference  to  moral 
distinctions:  and  even  in  religious  matters,  he  in- 
tervenes between  her  conscience  and  her  God. 
‘A  husband,’  says  Manu,  ‘must  constantly  be 
revered  as  a god  by  a virtuous  wife.  No  sacri- 
fice is  allowed  to  women  apart  from  their  hus- 
bands, no  religious  rite,  no  fasting;  as  far  only 
as  a wife  honors  her  lord,  so  far  is  she  exalted 
in  heaven.’  (Manu  v.  155.)  ‘ Let  a wife,’  it  is 
said  in  the  Skanda  Purana,  ‘ who  wishes  to  per- 
form sacred  ablution,  wash  the  feet  of  her  lord, 
and  drink  the  water:  for  a husband  is  to  a 
wife  greater  than  Shankar  or  Vishnu.  The  hus- 
band is  her  god,  and  priest,  and  religion : where- 
fore abandoning  everything  else,  she  ought  chiefly 
to  worship  her  husband.' 

“The  husband  is  actually  cautioned  against  al- 
lowing his  affections  to  rest  upon  her  in  the  de- 
gree that  is  lawful  in  the  case  of  others  of  his 
kindred.  ‘Let  not  a woman  be  much  loved,’ 
it  is  enjoined:  ‘let  her  have  only  that  degree  of 
affection  that  is  necessary.  Let  the  fullness  of 
affection  be  reserved  for  brothers,  and  other  sim- 
ilar connections.’  When  kindness  to  the  woman 
is  urged,  it  is  recommended  principally  as  calcu- 
lated to  promote  the  husband’s  benefit.  {See 
276 


The  Real  Difficulty 

the  case  of  her  ornaments,  Manu  iii.  6i.)  A rope 
and  a rod  are  expressly  mentioned  as  the  ordi- 
nary supports  of  a husband’s  authority.  On  trivial 
grounds,  even  for  an  unkind  word,  she  may  be 
superseded,  or  divorced.  For  polygamy  and 
licentiousness  on  the  part  of  the  husband,  there 
can  be  pleaded,  not  only  certain  laxities  of  legis- 
lation, according  to  which  they  appear  as  mat- 
ters comparatively  trivial;  but  even  the  alleged  ex- 
amples of  the  gods  themselves  ! ” ^ 

Abbe  Duboise  in  his  Hindu  Manners,  Customs 
and  Ceremonies,  devotes  a chapter  to  rules  of 
conduct  by  which  these  general  principles  we 
have  quoted  from  the  Hindu  shastras  are 
worked  out  in  detail. 

These  rules  are  taken  from  the  Padma-Purana, 
one  of  their  most  valued  books,  and  are  trans- 
lated literally: 

“Give  ear  to  me  attentively,  great  king  of 
Dilipa!  1 will  expound  to  thee  how  a wife  at- 
tached to  her  husband  and  devoted  to  her  duties 
ought  to  behave. 

“ There  is  no  other  god  on  earth  for  a woman 
than  her  husband.  The  most  excellent  of  all  the 
good  works  that  she  can  do,  is  to  seek  to  please 

• Suppression  of  Infanticide  in  Western  India,  by  John  Wil- 
son, D.  D.,  F.  R.  S. 


277 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

him  by  manifesting  perfect  obedience  to  him. 
Therein  should  lie  her  sole  rule  of  life, 

"Be  her  husband  deformed,  aged,  infirm,  of- 
fensive in  his  manners;  let  him  also  be  choleric, 
debauched,  immoral,  a drunkard,  a gambler:  let 
him  frequent  places  of  ill-repute,  live  in  open  sin 
with  other  women,  have  no  affection  whatever 
for  his  home;  let  him  rave  like  a lunatic;  let 
him  live  without  honor;  let  him  be  blind,  deaf, 
dumb,  or  crippled;  in  a word  let  his  defects  be 
what  they  may,  let  his  wickedness  be  what  it 
may,  a wife  should  always  look  upon  him  as  her 
god,  should  lavish  on  him  all  her  attention  and 
care;  paying  no  heed  whatever  to  his  character, 
and  giving  him  no  cause  whatsoever  for  dis- 
pleasure. 

" Should  she  see  anything  which  she  is  desir- 
ous of  possessing,  she  must  not  seek  to  acquire 
it  without  the  consent  of  her  husband.  If  her 
husband  receives  the  visit  of  a stranger,  she  shall 
retire  with  bent  head  and  shall  continue  her 
work  without  paying  the  least  attention  to  him. 
She  must  concentrate  her  thoughts  on  her  hus- 
band only,  and  must  never  look  another  man  in 
the  face.  In  acting  thus,  she  wins  the  praise  of 
everybody. 

“ If  her  husband  laugh,  she  must  laugh;  if  he 
278 


The  Real  Difficulty 

be  sad,  she  must  be  sad;  if  he  weeps,  she  must 
weep;  if  he  asks  questions,  she  must  answer. 
Thus  will  she  give  proof  of  her  good  disposition. 

“She  must  take  heed  not  to  remark  that  an- 
other man  is  young,  handsome,  or  well  propor- 
tioned; and,  above  all,  she  must  not  speak  to 
him.  Such  modest  demeanor  will  secure  for 
her  the  reputation  of  a faithful  spouse. 

“ It  shall  even  be  the  same  with  her  who,  see- 
ing before  her  the  most  beautiful  gods,  shall  re- 
gard them  disdainfully  and  as  though  they  were 
not  worthy  of  comparison  with  her  husband. 

“A  wife  must  eat  only  after  her  husband  has 
had  his  fill.  If  the  latter  fast,  she  shall  fast  too; 
if  he  touch  not  food,  she  also  shall  not  touch  it; 
if  he  be  in  affliction,  she  shall  be  so  too;  if  he  be 
cheerful,  she  shall  share  his  joy.  A good  wife 
should  be  less  devoted  to  her  sons,  or  to  her 
grandsons,  or  to  her  jewels,  than  to  her  hus- 
band. She  must,  on  the  death  of  her  husband, 
allow  herself  to  be  burned  alive  on  the  same 
funeral  pyre;  then  everybody  will  praise  her 
virtue. 

“She  cannot  lavish  too  much  affection  on  her 
father-in-law,  her  mother-in-law,  and  her  hus- 
band; and  should  she  perceive  that  they  are 

squandering  all  the  family  substance  in  extrava- 
279 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

gance,  she  would  be  wrong  to  complain,  and 
still  more  wrong  to  oppose  them. 

“ Before  her  husband,  let  her  words  fall  softly 
and  sweetly  from  her  mouth;  and  let  her  devote 
herself  to  pleasing  him  every  day  more  and 
more. 

“ If  a husband  keep  two  wives,  the  one  should 
not  amuse  herself  at  the  expense  of  the  other,  be 
it  for  good,  or  for  evil;  neither  should  the  one 
talk  about  the  beauty  or  the  ugliness  of  the  chil- 
dren of  the  other.  They  must  live  on  good 
terms,  and  must  avoid  addressing  unpleasant  and 
offensive  remarks  to  each  other. 

“Let  her  carefully  avoid  creating  domestic 
squabbles  on  the  subject  of  her  parents,  or  on 
account  of  another  woman  whom  her  husband 
may  wish  to  keep,  or  on  account  of  any  unpleas- 
ant remark  which  may  have  been  addressed  to 
her.  To  leave  the  house  for  reasons  such  as 
these,  would  expose  her  to  public  ridicule,  and 
would  give  cause  for  much  evil- speaking. 

“If  her  husband  flies  into  a passion,  threatens 
her,  abuses  her  grossly,  even  beats  her  unjustly, 
she  shall  answer  him  meekly,  shall  lay  hold  of 
his  hands,  kiss  them,  and  beg  his  pardon,  in- 
stead of  uttering  loud  cries,  and  running  away 
from  the  house. 


280 


The  Real  Difficulty 

"Let  all  her  words  and  actions  give  public 
proof  that  she  looks  upon  her  husband  as  her 
god.  Honored  by  everybody,  she  shall  thus  en- 
joy the  reputation  of  a faithful  and  virtuous 
spouse.” 

It  is  the  Hindu  religious  belief  that  a woman 
must  never  forsake  her  husband,  but  submit  to 
him  in  all  things,  that  makes  her  afraid  and 
ashamed  to  leave  his  house  for  brutal  treatment, 
or  even  if  he  brings  a mistress  into  the  house 
with  her.  It  is  this  belief  that  would  make  all 
society  hound  her  if  she  did.  In  the  accounts  of 
the  lives  of  some  of  the  gods  there  is  sanction 
for  nautch-girls  and  devadasis.  This  keeps  the 
public  from  being  shocked  at  the  custom.  It  is 
to  the  worship  of  Krishna,  that  much  of  the  im- 
morality of  the  country  can  be  blamed.  The 
custom  of  temple  girls  flourishes  most  exten- 
sively and  almost  exclusively  in  Vishnu  or 
Krishna  temples. 

As  long  as  these  beliefs  exist,  and  the  customs 
that  have  grown  up  around  them,  so  long  will 
these  wrongs  of  Indian  women  remain  in  the 
land;  for  not  only  is  her  own  salvation  secured 
by  the  observance  of  these  customs  and  rights; 
but  that  of  numberless  relatives  also. 

In  illustration  of  this.  Sir  Monier  Williams  tells 
281 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

of  a certain  pious  ascetic  who  determined  to 
shirk  the  religious  duty  of  taking  a wife.  Wan- 
dering about  in  the  woods,  absorbed  in  medita- 
tion, he  saw  before  him  a deep  and  apparently 
bottomless  pit,  around  whose  edges  “some  men 
were  hanging  suspended  by  ropes  of  grass  at 
which,  here  and  there,  a rat  was  nibbling.  On 
asking  their  history,  lie  discovered,  to  his  horror, 
that  they  were  his  own  ancestors  compelled  to 
hang  in  this  mannei,  and  doomed  eventually  to 
fall  into  the  abyss,  unless  he  went  back,  into  the 
world,  did  his  duty  like  a man,  married  a suitable 
wife,  and  had  a son  who  would  be  able  to  re- 
lease them  from  their  critical  predicament.” 

As  long  as  men  and  women  remain  devout 
Hindus,  so  long  will  this  estimate  of  women 
pervade  society.  By  devout,  we  mean  sincere. 
We  would  dread  the  day  that  the  women  should 
break  away  from  their  devoutness  and  sincerity, 
and  become  “reformed”  in  outward  things,  at 
the  expense  of  becoming  sceptics,  atheists,  insin- 
cere and  hypocritical  in  keeping  up  a form  of 
Hinduism.  We  have  more  hope  of  a man,  who 
is  sincere,  even  if  mistaken,  than  of  a hypocrite. 
The  thing  is  to  teach  the  woman  that  her  hus- 
band’s salvation  is  not  secured  by  the  birth  of  a 

son;  that  her  own  and  each  relative’s  salvation 
282 


The  Real  Difficulty 

depends  on  personal  obedience  to  God;  that 
widowhood  is  not  the  result  of  her  sin;  that  a 
husband  is  not  as  a god;  that  by  obedience  to 
him  in  life,  heaven  is  not  secured  to  her;  that  a 
life  of  penance  and  austerity  after  his  death,  does 
not  secure  her  own  or  his  eternal  happiness. 
Give  her  true  ideas  of  salvation,  if  you  want  her 
to  find  and  to  fill  her  true  place. 


283 


XVIII 


THE  REAL  REMEDY 

In  previous  chapters  we  have  canvassed  the 
subject  of  the  hope  of  help  from  government 
and  the  reformers,  the  two  sources  to  which 
many  look  for  the  redemption  of  Indian  women. 
But  we  confess  the  outlook  from  either  source  is 
not  very  bright  at  present.  Government,  under 
the  most  propitious  circumstances  has  been  slow 
in  making  changes,  much  less  is  it  likely  to  do  so 
now  in  the  presence  of  its  present  absorbing 
questions,  and  in  the  face  of  the  present  discon- 
tent and  strong  race  feeling. 

And  the  reformers?  To  many,  the  disap- 
pointment from  this  source  has  been  most  bitter. 
We  give  credit  for  all  that  has  been  done,  but  so 
much  that  we  had  a right  to  demand  from  edu- 
cated India  has  never  been  accomplished.  Hon. 
Justice  Scott,  of  the  Bombay  High  Court,  well  said 
in  a letter  to  Mr.  Malabari:  " If  you  wait  till  indi- 
vidual Hindus  take  up  and  carry  through,  single 
handed,  without  any  outside  aid,  any  great 
change  in  their  social  system,  you  will  realize 

the  fable  of  the  countryman,  who  sat  by  the 
284 


HIGH  CASTE  GIRL  A LOW  CASTE  WOMAN 


The  Real  Remedy 

river  bank  and  waited  for  the  stream  to  run  dry 
before  he  crossed  over  to  the  other  side.  It  is 
not  in  human  nature  to  expect  that  great  changes 
will  be  affected  in  a society  by  its  own  members, 
when  the  advocates  of  change  have  to  face 
family  estrangement,  social  ostracism,  and  caste 
excommunication,  as  a probable  result  of  their 
efforts.”  Caste,  which  holds  the  whole  fabric 
of  Hinduism  together,  has  been  too  much  for 
them.  They  will  denounce  it  and  yet  obey  its 
demands,  at  least  to  an  extent  sufficient  to  enable 
them  to  keep  within  its  sacred  precincts  socially. 

Even  Ram  Mohun  Roy,  who  has  stood  the 
highest  in  the  ranks  of  Indian  reformers,  “in 
the  eyes  of  the  law  always  remained  a Brahman. 
He  never  abandoned  the  Brahmanical  thread,  and 
had  too  lively  a sense  of  the  value  of  money,  to 
risk  the  forfeiture  of  his  property  and  the  con- 
sequent diminution  of  his  usefulness  and  influ- 
ence by  formally  giving  up  his  caste.  In  fact, 
though  far  in  advance  of  his  age  as  a thinker,  he 
laid  no  claim  to  perfect  disinterestedness  of  mo- 
tive as  a man.  ...  He  died  a Hindu  in  re- 
spect of  external  observances;  his  Brahman  serv- 
ant performed  the  usual  rites  required  by  his 
master’s  caste,  and  his  Brahmanical  thread  was 

found  coiled  round  his  person  when  his  spirit 
285 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

passed  away.  In  all  his  Anti-Brahmanism,  he 
continued  a Brahman  to  the  end.  Even  after  his 
death  it  was  thought  advisable  to  keep  up  the 
fiction  of  a due  maintenance  of  caste.”  * His 
body  was  not  interred  in  a Christian  burial 
ground,  though  he  died  in  Christian  England, 
tenderly  nursed  to  the  end  by  Christian  friends; 
but  was  buried  in  the  private  grounds  of  his 
hostess.  And  this  will  continue  to  be  the  history 
of  reformers  until  they  have  a different  motive 
power  for  effort,  one  that  will  enable  them  to 
suffer  the  loss  of  all  things,  and  to  receive  that 
which  will  compensate  and  satisfy  their  hearts 
for  what  they  lose. 

And  the  women  themselves,  will  they  agitate 
their  wrongs  until  they  are  righted  } Until  they, 
too,  are  given  different  ideas  of  religion,  respect- 
ability and  right,  they  will  be  the  greatest  op- 
ponents of  reform  on  their  behalf.  Women  are 
always  most  prominent  in  religious  matters  in 
every  nation,  and  in  India,  they  are  the  persons 
who  cling  so  intensely  to  the  old  ways,  customs 
and  caste.  No  matter  how  deeply  a young 
widow  suffers  in  being  shorn  of  her  hair,  it  fre- 
quently happens  that  no  one  is  harder  than  she, 

' Religious  Thought  and  Life  in  India,  by  Sir  Monier 
Williams. 


286 


The  Real  Remedy 

as  time  goes  on,  on  younger  widows  that  they 
should  follow  in  the  same  steps  of  suffering.  A 
Brahman  neighbor  of  ours  had  two  widows  in 
his  family,  who  were  of  the  most  orthodox  type. 
In  the  course  of  conversation  with  one  of  them 
one  day,  he  kindly  proposed  that  she  should  re- 
marry. At  the  mere  suggestion,  notwithstand- 
ing all  she  had  suffered,  she  burst  into  tears. 
She  regarded  it  as  an  insult.  It  would  not  be 
respectable! 

Many  educated  Hindus  fear  the  women  of  the 
household  almost  more  than  aught  else.  Men 
who  will  declaim  against  child  marriage,  caste 
and  enforced  widowhood  in  public,  have  not 
courage  when  they  go  home  to  face  the  women 
of  the  household;  for  their  tears  and  entreaties 
win  the  day. 

We  knew  of  one  gentleman  who  lost  his  wife. 
Immediately  his  mother  proposed  marriage  with 
a little  girl.  He  pleaded  to  be  allowed  to  remain 
single.  But  no,  the  mother  persisted.  Then  he 
begged  to  be  allowed  to  marry  a woman  nearer 
his  own  age,  who,  under  the  circumstances, 
would  have  to  be  a widow.  At  this  all  the  fe- 
male relations  rose  in  a solid  body  against  it. 
They  were  uneducated;  they  had  never  shared 

his  thought  of  reform.  Finally  the  mother 
287 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

threatened  to  commit  suicide,  a threat  which 
she  probably  would  have  carried  out,  and  the 
man  yielded  at  a sacrifice  of  all  his  convic- 
tions, and  of  all  his  public  utterances  that 
had  done  so  much  good,  and  married  the  girl- 
wife. 

Children  are  timid  and  shrinking,  and  some 
one  has  suggested  that  it  is  from  child  mothers, 
that  Hindus  inherit  their  lack  of  courage.  Yes, 
Indian  women  have  great  influence,  and  know 
how  to  use  it;  but  how  often  it  is  turned  in 
the  wrong  direction.  God  meant  that  woman 
should  have  great  influence.  He  meant  that  she 
should  be  man's  help-meet  and  comforter.  It 
was  perhaps  from  the  memory  of  such  scenes  as 
we  have  described,  that,  in  speaking  of  the  in- 
fluence of  women  in  the  homes  of  India,  as  in 
other  countries,  Keshub  Chundra  Sen  said,  in 
a humorous  way,  in  an  address  in  England: 
“Woman  has  been  defined  as  an  adjective 
agreeing  with  the  noun,  man.  I should  rather 
say  that  man  is  a noun  in  the  objective  case 
governed  by  woman!” 

Neither  are  the  women  of  India  inferior  to  the 
women  of  other  lands.  Given  the  same  oppor- 
tunity, they  are  the  equals  of  any  women.  We 

have  found  many  who  had  all  the  possibilities  of 

288 


The  Real  Remedy 

the  career  of  noble  women,  save  that  they  were 
handicapped  by  ignorance  and  the  disabilities 
under  which  they  have  lived.  And  such  women 
are  not  confined  only  to  the  higher  castes.  We 
knew,  for  a number  of  years,  a sweeper  woman 
who  would  have  been  a most  remarkable  char- 
acter had  she  had  but  half  a chance.  Unhappily 
her  life  was  turned  into  evil  channels,  and  yet 
her  neighbors  called  her  the  “Begum”  (a  lady)! 
There  are  thousands  of  women  all  over  the  land 
who,  were  they  not  warped  by  iron  custom,  and 
handicapped  by  cruel  public  opinion,  would,  if 
given  a purpose  in  life,  leave  their  mark  upon 
the  Indian  world. 

Indian  women  are  loving,  affectionate  and 
faithful;  and,  says  the  Indian  Witness,  “they 
are  entitled  to  the  greatest  admiration  for  the 
wonderfully  patient  manner  in  which  they  ac- 
cept their  hard  lot  and  make  the  best  of  their 
gloomy  environments.” 

We  are  grateful  for  what  has  been  accomplished 
in  female  education,  and  for  the  enlightened 
Hindu  ladies  we  meet  here  and  there;  but  the 
real  emancipation  of  Indian  women  will  never 
come,  except  through  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 
This  is  the  real  remedy  for  the  wrongs  of  Indian 
womanhood ; for  this  is  what  has  elevated  women 

289 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

in  other  lands,  and  is  waiting  to  do  the  same  for 
India. 

Culture  and  civilization  alone  will  never  raise 
woman  to  her  true  position.  Whatever  of  civi- 
lization at  present  that  is  worth  anything  in  Chris- 
tian nations  is  the  outgrowth  of  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ.  The  true  elevation  of  women  in 
these  nations  is  due  to  this,  and  this  alone. 
Peruse  the  pages  of  history  and  see  if  this  is  not 
true.  What  do  we  find  to  be  the  condition  of 
women  in  any  land  outside  of  Christendom, 
either  in  the  past  or  present  ? 

Infanticide  has  prevailed,  in  some  form  or 
other,  in  almost  every  nation:  “polygamy  has 
prevailed  over  almost  the  whole  expanse  of 
Asia:  throughout  the  vast  empire  of  China,  and 
in  the  greater  part  of  India,  female  children  are 
betrothed  in  childhood;  in  almost  every  pagan 
race,  ancient  or  modern,  females  are  given  away 
in  marriage  without  their  own  consent;  in  many 
lands  they  are  bought  and  sold;  divorce  can  in 
most  cases  be  had  on  easy  terms;  not  only  the 
Brahman  of  India,  but  the  Polynesian  savage,  and 
even  the  Negro  slaves  of  the  West  Indies,  will 
not  allow  their  wives  to  eat  with  them;  intellec- 
tual culture,  when  apart  from  the  sanctifying  influ- 
ences of  Christianity,  has  nowhere  checked — has 
290 


9 


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(lO.Sl’I'.I,  WA(;ON 


The  Real  Remedy 

rather  precipitated — the  derangement  of  the  rela- 
tion of  the  sexes  to  each  other.”  ‘ 

What  did  the  high  civilization  of  Greece  and 
Rome,  and  the  philosophies  there  extant  do  for 
women.?  Says  Dr.  Murdoch:  “When  Chris- 
tianity was  first  made  known  in  Europe,  the  state 
of  society  in  the  most  civilized  nations  was  most 
corrupt.  Adultery  was  a fashionable  crime. 
. . . A single  temple  to  the  goddess  Venus 
had  a thousand  prostitutes  for  its  priestesses  ; ” 
and  he  quotes  another  writer  as  saying,  “The 
tender  reverence  for  women  is  not  mere  product 
of  culture  and  civilization,  for  it  was  unknown  to 
Greece  and  Rome  in  the  zenith  of  their  refine- 
ment. . . . It  is  the  reflection  on  earth  of 

that  self-devoting  love  that  brought  the  Son  of 
God  from  heaven.”  And,  says  the  Rev.  F.  W. 
Robertson:  “It  was  from  that  time  forward 
that  womanhood  assumed  a new  place  in  the 
world,  and  steadily  and  gradually  rose  to  a 
higher  dignity  in  human  life.  It  is  not  to  mere 
civilization,  but  to  the  spirit  of  life  in  Christ, 
that  woman  owes  all  she  is,  and  all  she  has  yet 
to  gain.” 

The  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  is  not  so  much  a 

1 The  Influence  of  Christianity  on  the  Position  and  Character 
of  Women,  by  Dr.  Kay. 


291 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

system  of  doctrine,  though  this  has  its  value,  as 
it  is  a life  that  moulds  and  transforms  the  charac- 
ter of  its  believers.  Says  one:  “ It  expelled  cru- 
elty; curbed  passion;  punished  and  repressed  an 
execrable  infanticide;  drove  the  shameless  im- 
purities of  heathendom  into  a congenial  darkness; 
freed  the  slave;  protected  the  captive;  sheltered 
the  orphan;  shrouded  as  with  a halo  of  sacred  in- 
nocence the  tender  years  of  a child;  elevated 
woman;  sanctified  marriage  from  little  more 
than  a burdensome  convention  into  little  less  than 
a blessed  sacrament ; ” and  where  men  and  women 
have  received  it,  has  made  their  hearts  and  lives 
so  pure  that  it  has  given  to  men  a reverence  and 
chivalrous  care  for  women;  and  on  the  other 
hand,  has  so  hallowed  the  character  of  woman, 
as  to  make  the  words,  “mother,”  “sister,” 
“wife”  and  “daughter,”  the  tenderest  words  in 
the  language  of  men.  It  has  taught  the  equality 
of  woman  with  man,  and  made  her  his  help-meet 
and  comforter.  It  is  a religion  that  offers  salva- 
tion regardless  of  sex,  and  teaches  that  “in  Christ 
there  is  neither  male  nor  female.”  (Gal.  iii.  28.) 
It  makes  woman  a responsible  moral  being,  whose 
salvation  and  possibilities  of  a holy  life  on  earth, 
and  her  future  eternal  blessedness,  depend  on  her 

own  personal  acceptance  of  Christ  and  obedience 
292 


The  Real  Remedy 

to  Him,  and  not  on  her  relations  to  her  husband 
or  any  other  relative. 

Christianity  does  not  subvert  the  relations  of 
the  household.  It  recognizes  man  as  the  head  of 
the  house,  and  asks  obedience  of  the  wife;  while 
in  the  same  breath  it  bids  husbands  “love  their 
wives  even  as  Christ  loved  the  Church  and  gave 
Himself  for  it.”  It  demands  obedience  of  son 
and  daughter  to  both  father  and  mother  alike; 
and  hallows  the  entire  home  by  making  the  re- 
lation of  husband  and  wife  as  a type  of  Christ 
and  the  Church,  and  the  relations  of  parents  to 
their  children,  a faint  shadow  of  the  great 
Fatherhood  of  God.  But  in  all  these  relations, 
the  obedience  of  the  wife  to  her  husband,  the 
love  of  the  husband  for  the  wife,  or  the  submis- 
sion of  the  children  to  the  parents,  are  never  to 
supersede  love  and  obedience  to  God.  This 
helps  us  to  understand  what  it  meant  by  the 
words:  “He  that  loveth  father  or  mother  more 
than  Me,  is  not  worthy  of  Me;  and  he  that 
loveth  son  or  daughter  more  than  Me,  is  not 
worthy  of  Me.”  (Matt.  x.  37.) 

This  is  one  of  the  places  where  Hinduism 
breaks  down,  in  that  family  caste  relations  are 
made  to  supersede  obligations  to  God  and  their 

fellow-men.  This  is  the  rock  upon  which  so 
293 


The  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood 

many  reformers  make  shipwreck.  This  is  the 
cause  of  much  unhappiness  on  the  part  of  the 
educated  Hindus  who  sacrifice  their  convictions 
to  these  considerations.  This  is  the  point  where 
so  many  hundreds  of  men  and  women  in  India 
reject  the  gospel,  which  is  the  very  hope  not 
only  of  India’s  women,  but  of  India  herself. 

India  has  had  some  wonderful  proofs  of  what 
Christ  can  do  for  women  in  Ramabai,  in  her 
tireless  love  and  self-denial  for  her  Indian  sisters; 
in  the  energetic  Mrs.  Sorabjee,  with  her  Victoria 
High  School;  and  in  her  accomplished  daughter, 
Cornelia,  the  first  lady  graduate  of  the  Deccan 
College,  the  first  lady  professor  in  an  India  Col- 
lege whose  students  were  men,  and  the  first  lady 
law-student;  in  that  earnest  quartette  of  sisters, 
Sunderbai,  Manjulabai,  Shewantibai,  and  Jai- 
wantibai  Power,  in  their  evangelistic  efforts  for 
women;  in  Toru  Dutt,  the  gentle  poetess  ; in 
Krupabai  Satthianadhan,  the  authoress;  in 
Chandra  Bose,  the  esteemed  lady  principal  of  the 
Bethune  College;  in  Lilawanti  Singh,  the  effi- 
cient teacher  in  the  Lucknow  College  for  women; 
in  Lakshmi  Goreh,  the  sweet  hymn-writer;  in 
Dr.  Gurubai  Karmarker,  the  lady  physician;  and 
in  hundreds  of  other  Christian  women  in  equal 

or  humbler  ranks  of  life.  How  many  times  we 
294 


The  Real  Remedy 

have  thanked  God  for  their  lives,  counted  their 
friendship  sweet,  and  their  fellowship  in  the 
gospel,  blessed;  and,  may  we  add,  almost  envied 
their  possibilities  for  usefulness  in  India  ? 

We  know  of  no  women  in  the  world  who 
have  the  “open  door”  set  before  them  for  use- 
fulness as  the  Christian  women  in  India  have  to- 
day. Do  they  realize  it,  and  are  they  willing  to 
meet  it If  the  recital  of  these  wrongs  has 
made  them  realize  more  deeply  what  Christ  has 
done  for  them,  and  shall  lead  them  to  yield 
themselves  to  God,  that  so  far  as  in  them  lies, 
every  woman  in  India  shall  hear  the  gospel;  we 
shall  be  satisfied.  Is  it  possible  for  the  one 
hundred  and  fifty  million  women  of  India  of  this 
generation  to  hear  the  gospel.?  We  leave  the 
Christian  women  of  India,  England  and  America 
to  answer  the  question. 


THE  END 


295 


Index 


Adultery,  Fashionable,  291. 
Age  of  consent,  36,  230. 

Age  for  Marriage,  Maximum, 
39- 

American  Board  High  School, 
267. 

Amherst,  Lord,  19 1. 
Anti-Nautch  movement,  137- 

147. 

Arbitrary  divorce,  96. 

Bentinck,  LordWm.,  50,  192, 
214. 

Besant,  Mrs.  Annie,  173,  235, 

2361  237-240- 

Bethune,  Hon.  D.,  258. 
Bethune  Institution,  258,  264. 
Bhandarkar,  Dr.,  quoted,  172. 
Bhavins,  The,  124. 

Bible,  The,  on  Widowhood,  48, 
49.  50- 

Bielby,  Miss,  207,  208. 

“ “ on  the  Zenana,  98. 

“ “ visits  the  Queen, 

209. 

Bishop,  Mrs.  Isabella  B.,  95. 
Bradford,  Rev.  A.  H.,  quoted, 
1 14. 

Brittian,  Miss,  26q. 

Calcutta  School  Society,  256. 


Cardinal  Manning,  quoted,  39. 

Carpenter,  Miss,  262. 

Carey,  William,  250. 

Carey  and  Infanticide,  151. 

Carey’s  sign,  251. 

Carey,  Work  of,  252-254. 

Caste,  Power  of,  64. 

“ Evil  of,  285. 

Chaitanya  Sect,  The,  121. 

Chentsalrao,  Hon.  P.,  quoted, 
61. 

Child  Marriage,  33,  174,  201, 
202. 

Child  wife.  Hardships  of  a,  43. 

Child  widow,  A,  59. 

“ “ Sufferings  of,  59. 

“ “ and  famine,  1 7 1. 

Christianity,  Introduction  of, 
247-249. 

Christianity,  Need  of,  245. 

“ the  real  remedy, 
293- 

Christianity,  Power  of  illus- 
trated, 294. 

Civilization,  Influence  of,  290. 

Close  Carriage,  A,  76. 

Cold  Suttee,  53. 

College  Degrees  for  women, 
264,  265,  268. 

Conjugal  Rights,  Restitution 
of,  204,  205. 


297 


Index 


Consent,  Age  of,  36. 

Converted  Hindu  women,  294, 
295. 

Cooke,  Miss,  256. 

Cruel  punishments,  43. 

Custom,  Power  of,  27,  163. 

Devadasis,  The,  1 12- 125. 

“ Character  of,  119, 
120. 

Difficulty,  The  real,  270,  283. 
Divorce,  Arbitrary,  96. 

“ Checks  to,  97. 

“ Law  of,  42. 

“ Thirteen  kinds  of,  96. 
Duboise,  Abbe,  quoted,  277, 
281. 

Duff,  Dr.,  quoted,  215,  261. 
Duncan,  Jonathan,  156. 

“ “ his  monu- 

ment, 157. 

East  India  Company,  The, 
175.  176,  179- 
Education,  Female,  210. 

“ Western,  234. 
Enforced  widowhood,  48,  167. 

Famine  of  1898,  233. 

Famine,  Child  widows  and,  17 1. 
Female  education,  210. 

Fordyce,  Rev.  J.,  259. 

Ganga  Sagar,  Festival  at, 
152. 

Ganga  Sagar,  Infanticide  at, 
189. 

Gospel,  Need  of  the,  290. 


Gospel,  and  woman,  292. 
Government,  The  position  of, 
175,  178. 

Gunpati  Festival,  The,  233. 

Harem,  The,  77. 

Hastings,  Lady,  257. 

Hewlett,  Miss,  quoted,  87. 
Hindu  home  life,  26. 

“ houses,  91. 

“ sects,  89. 

“ shastras.  The,  116. 

“ Social  Reform  Associa- 
tion, 138,  202. 

Hindu  Social  Reform  Associa- 
tion, Memorial  of,  139,  140. 
Hindu  Social  Reform  Associa- 
tion, Memorial  of  reply  to, 

141. 

Hindu  Temples,  form  of,  112. 

“ “ uses  of,  112- 

114. 

Hindu  widows.  Number  of,  61. 
Home,  Immorality  in  the,  58. 
Hope,  A ray  of,  18. 

Hunter,  Sir  W.  W,,  quoted,  180, 
182,  194. 

Immorality  in  the  home,  58. 
India,  Modern,  23. 

Indian  Mutiny,  The  176. 
Indian  Social  Reformer,  The, 
quoted,  116,  126,  132,  142, 
143,  164,  167,  173. 

Indian  Spectator,  The,  quoted, 

‘95- 


298 


Index 


Indian  Testimony,  A chapter 
of,  161-174. 

Indian  Witness,  The,  quoted 

161,  197.  236,  289. 

Indian  Universities,  206. 

“ “ Women  in, 

207. 

Infanticide,  58,  148. 

“ abolished,  153. 

“ Act  of  1890,  159. 

“ in  Bible  times,  149. 
“ Carey  on,  151,  189. 
“ Christianity  opposed 
to,  150. 

Infanticide,  Dr.  Wilson  on,  150. 
“ declared  illegal,  1 5 2. 
“ Wholesale,  160. 

JAGANNATH,  Temple  of,  115. 
Jarejas,  The,  156. 

Jejuri,  Temple  at,  102,  104. 
Jogtins,  The,  125. 

Juggernaut,  115. 

Kashmari  pandit.  A,  quoted, 
88,  89. 

Keshub,  Chunder  Sen,  217- 
221,  288. 

Khandoba’s  sword.  Marriage  to, 
100. 

Koran  and  Polygamy,  The,  61. 

“ the  Veil,  The,  77. 

Krishna,  120. 

Legislation  desired,  186,  187. 
Lucknow  Advocate, 164. 
Lucknow  College,  263. 
Lucknow,  Nautch-girls  of,  131. 


Madras  Marriage  Bill,  The, 

231. 

Madras  Reform  Association, 

165. 

Mahomet’s  daughter,  S tory  of, 
271. 

Malabari,  Mr.,  quoted,  64,  163, 

174.  195.  198. 

Malabari,  Mr.,  Reforms  by,  22 1- 

224. 

Malabari,  Famous  “ Notes  ” of, 

225. 

Manning,  Cardinal,  quoted,  39. 
Mansell,  Mrs.,  196,  197,  254, 

255- 

Manu,  Laws  of,  272. 

Marriage,  Fixing  age  for,  174. 

“ Maximum  age  for,  39. 

“ A mere  show,  34. 

Marshman,  Mrs.  H.,  255. 
Maximum  age  for  marriage,  39. 
Missions,  Protestant,  249. 

“ Roman  Catholic,  248, 
249. 

Missionaries,  do  they  exagger- 
ate? i6l. 

Modem  India,  23. 

Mohammed,  Story  of,  78-80. 

“ Institutes  the  Veil, 
80,  81. 

Mohammed,  Wives  of,  81. 
Mohammedan  sects,  90. 
Morals,  Double  standard  of,  144. 
Muir,  Sir  W.,  quoted,  88,  92. 
Muller,  Max,  Testimony  of,  165, 

166. 

Muralis,  The,  lOO-lll. 


299 


Index 


Muralis,  Character  of,  104. 

“ Missionaries  of,  108. 

“ Vows  of,  106. 
Murdoch,  Dr.,  quoted,  87,  116, 
117,  II9,  132,  291. 

Mutiny,  The  Indian,  176. 
Mysore  Marriage  Bill,  The,  231. 
Mysore,  State  of,  200. 

N ATiONAL  Social  Congress,  The, 
203,  204. 

Nautch-girls,  The,  126-136. 

“ Antiquity  of,  126. 
••  Character  of,  134. 
“ Earnings  of,  1 3 1 . 

“ Education  of,  128, 
129. 

Nautch-girls,  Training  of,  127, 
128. 

Nautch-girls  at  government  din- 
ners, 135. 

Nautch-girls  at  weddings,  134. 

“ and  ballet  dancers, 
145- 

Nepaul,  State  of,  200. 

Normal  School,  The  India,  260. 

Obscene  books,  Use  of,  115. 

“ paintings,  116. 

Patriarchal  system,  The,  47. 
Phulmani  Dasi,  19,  196,  227. 
Plague  of  1898,  The,  233. 
Polygamy  allowed  by  the  Koran, 
61,  93. 

Polygamy,  Evils  of,  94,  290. 


Prayaschitt,  The,  31. 

Preface,  15. 

Prostitution  of  temple  girls,  122. 

Protestant  missions,  249. 

Punishments,  Cruel,  43. 

Purdah  Lady,  A,  77. 

Puree,  Temple  of,  114. 

Purity  associations,  137. 

Queen  Empress,  Memorial  to, 
197,  198. 

Radha  Krishna,  154. 

Ragnathdas,  Case  of,  120. 

Ragunathrio,  Mr.,  quoted,  55, 
56,  65. 

Rajput  infanticide,  170,  171. 

Rakhmabai,  Case  of,  39, 41,  204. 

Ramabai,  Introduction  by,  1 1. 

“ quoted,  21, 53, 54,  68, 
162,  273. 

Ram  Mohun  Roy,  212,  213, 
285,  286. 

Ram  Mohun  Roy  visits  Eng- 
land, 214. 

Ranade,  Justice,  187,  188. 

Rao  Bahadur,  Case  of,  65-67, 
69,  227. 

Rao,  Mr.  K.  S.,  Statement  of, 
170,  171. 

Real  Difficulty,  The,  270-283. 

Real  Remedy,  The,  284-295. 

Recent  Reforms,  229-246. 

Reformers,  Methods  of,  243, 244. 

Robertson,  Rev.  F.  W.,  291. 

Roman  Catholic  missions,  248, 
249. 


300 


Index 


Sandhurst,  Lord,  232. 

Sarah  Tucker  College,  263. 
Schools  for  Girls,  265,  266. 
Schwartz,  250. 

Sects,  Hindu,  89. 

“ Mohammedan,  90. 

Sen,  Keshub  Chunder,  2 17-221. 
Seventy  million  devils,  in. 
Shastras,  The  Hindu,  273. 
Shaving  the  head,  54,  56-58, 

71-73- 

Since  1891,  229-246. 

Social  Conference,  Action  of, 
137.  138- 

Social  Congress,  The,  67,  68, 

245- 

Stead,  Mr.,  195. 

Stridhan,  The  widow’s,  63. 
Suttee  Act,  The,  135,  190,  193. 
“ Rite,  The,  50,  53. 

“ “ Petition  in  favor  of, 

53- 

Suttee  Rite,  Ramabai  on,  53. 
Swain,  Miss  Clara,  207. 

Sword,  Married  to  a,  100,  I02- 
104. 

Tagore,  S.  N.,  on  child  mar- 
riage, 174. 

Tani,  Trial  of,  168. 

Temple  boys,  107. 

Temple  girls.  Prostitution  of, 
122. 

Temple  worship,  114. 

Temples,  Form  of,  112. 

“ Uses  of,  112-114. 


Thobum,  Miss,  quoted,  82,  162, 
263,  264. 

Thomas,  The  Apostle,  247. 
Tilak,  Mr.,  233. 

Times,  The,  quoted,  131. 

Universities,  The  Indian,  206. 
“ Women  in,  206. 

Vedas,  The,  272. 

Veil,  Koran  and  the,  77. 
Vevekanand,  Swami,  173,  236. 
Viceroy’s  reply  to  memorial, 
140-142, 

Victoria  proclaimed  Empress, 
176. 

Victoria,  Proclamation  by,  177. 
Victoria  High  School,  The,  266. 
Vidiasgar,  I.  C.,  215-217. 

Warren  Hastings,  175. 

W.  C.  T.  U.,  Memorial  of,  196. 
Wellesley,  Lord,  191. 

What  government  has  done, 
189-210. 

What  missionaries  have  done, 
247-269. 

What  reformers  have  done,  21 1- 
228. 

Widows,  Dress  of,  73. 

“ Number  of,  61,  182. 
Widow’s  Stridhan,  The,  63. 
Widow  Remarriage  Act,  63. 
Widow  remarriages.  Number 
of,  67. 


301 


Index 


Widowhood,  Bible  on,  48,  49,  Wilson,  Dr.,  quoted,  150,  155 
50.  274-277. 

Widowhood,  Enforced,  48. 

“ Remedies  for,  62.  Zenana,  The,  36,  76-99,  78. 
Williams,  Sir  Monier,  21 1,  212,  “ Evils  of,  84-87. 

282,  283.  Ziegenbalg  and  Plutschau,  249 


302 


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